Key
by Lyvance Callele
Summary: Two years after Oliver's last trip to Japan, he gets engaged to the science minister's daughter. And just when he was about to let Mai go, he meets her...in England. Sequel to "Are you happy?"  -img cover by Patricia, GH fanfic reader from the Phil-
1. Chapter 1

_HI! _^ v ^

_I understand that a lot of those who read "Are you happy?" felt disappointed at its last chapter. I hope you forgive me for that. Anyway, this is the sequel for "Are you happy?" I hope this makes up for the disappointment, hehe_

_Please read and review, and Ghost Hunt is not mine _^ v ^ _Tah!_

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><p>Oliver stared at the evening cityscape from the balcony.<p>

It had been two years since he went back to England for good. His life as Oliver Davis came back easily despite the loss of his twin. He had been attending conferences, lecturing as a professor again, and doing investigations the way he always did with his brother ever since they got adopted by Martin and Luella – parapsychologists who owned the British Society for Psychic Research that studied paranormal activities both those blamed to be caused by entities, and those believed to be caused by the mysterious ability of the human mind.

It was Gene and Oliver Davis that put them into a highly respected place in the nation's academic field. They're abilities that no scientific method could prove as hoax shut the public from shunning the essence of parapsychology.

The highly awarded studies that Oliver Davis presented as his graduate, masters, and doctorate theses at the average age of a high school freshman astounded people far and wide.

The Davis family had always been esteemed for its wealth and academic accomplishments. And the twins' own set of achievements maintained their prominence in society.

Oliver scowled at the classic music that touched his ears.

Being a prominent person involved a lot of responsibilities. One of them was what he was doing at that time – attending a ball that elite clans held for so-called 'scientific socializations,' but in reality was held to uphold their wealthy status in society to their co-elites, to the lower class, and to the media.

Oliver grunted.

Only thirty percent of the guests had the scientific mind and yet they boast about its scientific aims.

Oliver reached his fingers to touch the gold key that dangled from a gold necklace he wore around his neck and hidden underneath the collar of his tuxedo.

It had been a habit of his since Gene wasn't always there to keep him company anymore, and since talking to a supposedly demised Gene would look insane in public.

Whenever he felt stressed, sad, annoyed, tired, bored, or happy...he touched the key. It seemed to soothe him for some reason the way the face of its supposed owner did to him two years ago.

Oliver sighed. He had secretly asked Yasuhara to look for Mai. It had been two long years without any good news about her. He had also checked the immigration office in England to check if she was in the country, but not even the detective he hired who had connections with the underground could give any information about her whereabouts.

He was starting to lose hope.

"You really don't like parties, do you, Dr. Davis?" asked a woman from behind him in a very familiar tone.

Oliver glared at the balcony.

Ever since he hit the youthful age of manhood, ladies from a number of prominent families had approached him or his family for one-night stand pleasures or formal engagements.

He despised both.

"I didn't know you despised them too, Ms. Weldon," Oliver said without sparing her a glance.

The woman giggled and walked closer toward him. She turned her back to the view that Oliver was watching and made sure that she gave him a beautiful angle of the fair space between her breasts that her red dress flaunted.

"You can call me Summer, doctor," she said pulling Oliver's face toward hers, using her dainty fingers.

"Pardon me," Oliver said as he showed off his fake smile. No one other than those close to him could see the sneer that he hid behind it. "It has been a hard habit to break – calling my students by their last names."

Summer chuckled. "Oh I know," she said. "I must admit that your habit turns me on when I'm in your class."

Oliver smirked, biting his urge to snap at the woman with the most offending words he could muster and push her over the balcony. "Really..?"

Summer giggled and moved closer – rubbing her chest on his arm. "Absolutely," she said. "I love it when you play bad teacher...and me," she said slowly running her fingers from his chest to his pants. "…your naughty student."

"So I heard," Oliver said. "That means you'll be failing my midterm exams again, won't you? In that case, be sure to submit a three-hundred page research paper about the essence of psychology. You will pass it to me before sitting in class to take your exams. Be sure to put sense into it because it will be your only chance of earning the units that you need to graduate from the university," he finished, lifting her hand away from him and putting it back to her side.

Summer stiffened and looked away. "You're really gay, aren't you?" she muttered.

Oliver chuckled, looking out at the cityscape again. "Homosexuals are attracted to people of the same sex as theirs," he said. "**I** am attracted to people with the same degree of intellect and beauty as me."

Summer scowled. "I am the university's most beautiful student!"

Oliver looked down at her. "I said same degree of intellect **and** beauty," he said. "…not **or** beauty..."

Summer looked away in embarrassment. "You'll never find anyone better than me!"

"Is that a threat? Because to tell you honestly, I'm not threatened at all," he said. "I could name a few in this banquet who fit my standards. They're actually the reason why you're not paid any attention by the crowd. If I give you that sentence as a threat, will you be able to name one in this ball that is of the same degree of intellect and beauty as me?"

Summer stomped away, biting her lips and holding back her tears in shame.

"I thought so," Oliver said.

Lin sighed as Summer stomped her way around him.

He had been watching Oliver since Summer approached him.

"Wasn't that a bit too harsh?" Lin asked as he walked toward Oliver's side.

"She was the one who had been leaving thongs and condoms in my table for the past two weeks," he said. "I almost got kicked out of the university because of such obscenities." He then glared at Lin. "You're telling me that I was a bit too harsh?"

Lin sighed in defeat, turning to the city below. Oliver had a point.

Oliver looked out at the view again.

"You know that your parents are getting worried about your…interactions with the opposite sex," Lin said. "They've learned about how you seem to have no interest in establishing social relationships with them," he said turning to Oliver.

It was then that Lin noticed Oliver's fingers playing with the gold key that hung from the gold chain around.

He sighed.

Oliver had been wearing the necklace ever since he led him away from the park bench where he found him two years ago.

He told Martin and Luella about Taniyama Mai. They were happy to know that Oliver had, for the first time, been romantically attracted to someone of the opposite sex. There had been people making rumours that Oliver and Gene had been engaged in an incestuous homosexual love affair, that was supposed to explain Oliver's views against socializing or 'dating' women.

It was a relief for them to know that there was still hope for them to have grandchildren. But they were saddened by the fact that Taniyama vanished without a trace. They had hired they're own private detective to search for her, but it had been two years and they still had no word about her.

They felt helpless. Ever since Oliver came back, he had been more than the workaholic that he was when Gene was alive. He didn't speak to anyone about his days in Japan.

At first, they thought it was just because he was grieving, like everyone was, about Gene's death. But they noticed the gold key necklace that Oliver always wore, and that he played with when he thought that no one could see him.

Apart from grieving for Gene's death, he was also grieving for his broken heart.

"There are so many things that are more important than reproduction," Oliver said, keeping his eyes on the view.

Lin rolled his eyes.

…Says someone who's in a terminal stage of love sickness…

"Being with someone isn't just about making progenies," Lin said, looking down at the view as well. "It's also about companionship – having someone you can speak freely to other than your family."

"Like you have Madoka," Oliver said, smirking and eyeing Lin.

A blush crept up Lin's face.

Oliver shook his head. "I have a lot of things I want to do," he said looking at the night sky.

"…Like playing with that key," Lin said eyeing him.

Oliver frowned.

Lin sighed. "Your parents think that you should try to move on," he said. "It's been two years."

"Why do you always have to associate my things with someone?" Oliver said, pouting like a kid.

Lin chuckled. "Not everything," he said. "...Just that one... I was there after all – when you started to wear that."

Oliver glared at him. "And you had to make up some story to my parents about it."

"Wasn't it accurate?" Lin teased. "You didn't correct me for the last two years."

Oliver looked away. "Just…let me be," he said.

Lin looked up at the sky. "I would love to do that, believe me," he said. "But I'm not your parents – Martin and Luella are."

"Can't you tell them that then?" Oliver told Lin.

Lin chuckled "I have," he said. "But I'm not their son."

Oliver rolled his eyes and looked back at the view. "They don't listen to me."

"Just tell them everything," Lin said. "I don't think they would judge you badly."

Oliver looked at Lin. "You and I both know that judging me is not the issue here," he said. "They love jumping to conclusions. Look at what they've been doing. They've been setting up blind dates for me without my consent because their jumping to the conclusion that I need to date someone."

Lin chuckled. "Well then you better think of another way to get them to stop what they're doing soon," he said. "I heard that the science minister and your parents are negotiating about arranging a marriage for you and his very willing daughter."

Oliver's eyes went wide in shock.

"They're planning to have another banquet where you and his daughter can meet," Lin said turning away and heading back to the crowd. "I think it would be scheduled by the end of this week."


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver's bed was comfortable. It was soft and warm against the coldness of his room.

But when he was upset or stressed about something, he felt suffocated of its bounciness.

So Oliver was flat on the floor with a comforter shielding his back from the wood - a pillow tucked beneath his head. His eyes were fixed at the ceiling.

He couldn't help but recall dinner that evening.

"You agreed to wed me to someone without asking me?" Oliver gasped as he sat in the dinner table with Martin, Luella, Lin, and Madoka.

Lin, who sat beside him, kept his attention on his food as Martin and Luella looked apologetically at their son. Madoka watched worriedly beside Lin, elbowing him to do something.

After all, Oliver rarely snapped at his parents. If there were people that he considered to be unworthy of being snapped at, it was his parents.

Lin just patted Madoka's lap, telling her to relax.

"The minister is a very good friend of our family and of the institute," Martin reasoned. "Besides, his daughter is a beautiful girl and a science achiever as you. She's graduating with much academic honour."

Oliver glared at his father – another thing that he rarely did.

His father winced and looked away. He had to admit that his son's glare was scarier than any ghost he had investigated.

"Oliver, this will be good for the institute," Luella said in an attempt to calm the situation down.

"Do you really not trust me at all?" Oliver snapped.

Martin and Luella stiffened.

Ooh…it's gotten worse.

"That's not what I meant, dear," Luella said.

"Then what **do** you mean?" Oliver asked. "I'm old enough to live away from this house – to work for myself. I'm also old enough to pick whoever I want to be my wife. Why did you have to pick one for me, without even asking for my opinion about it?"

"Oliver, be reasonable," Martin said sharply.

And Martin rarely called him by his first name.

"How long are you going to mop around about that girl you met two years ago?" Martin said. "She's nowhere to be seen, and even if she was, what kind of education does she have? She graduated high school with no academic honours or achievements. For all I know she's…"

Luella held her husband's arm to stop him from saying more. It was a taboo – Oliver's love life – for a reason.

And the reason was clear on Oliver's face. It was filled with pain and guilt.

Martin froze at the sight of his son.

It was the only time that Lin looked up. He knew that Martin's hit was below the belt.

Oliver sat still. He kept his eyes on his untouched dinner.

Martin sighed. "I'm sorry, Noll," he said. "It's just that…we don't want too see you like that anymore. And we want you to be happy…"

Oliver stood up. "I'm sorry," he said still looking down. "I shouldn't have said such things. You're right. I'm very happy right now." He then turned his back from them and walked to his room.

Luella was about to go after him when Lin stopped her.

"Please give him some time," Lin said. "I'm sure he didn't mean to cross you."

Luella nodded. "Oh Martin," she said. "Did we make the wrong decision?"

Martin sighed. "I don't know, Luella," he said.

Oliver held the key against his chest.

He wasn't ready. He didn't want to be ready.

He had seen the minister's daughter. Sure, she was beautiful. She might be more beautiful than Mai. Sure, she was smart. He's read a lot about her studies and scientific achievements. She won a lot of mathematics and physics competitions. She was even a chess champion in the college athletic competition. No doubt she was academically smarter than Mai.

But Mai was…Mai…

Oliver scowled and glared at the ceiling.

He didn't even know what Mai was to him. He just knew that there was no other girl who he would like to establish a companionship with than Mai. Those months with her were the best months of his life despite the horrible experiences he got in working as something other than his own profession.

Ladies and gentlemen, Oliver is officially…confused.

Oliver sat up and walked to his mirror. He wanted to speak to Gene though he wasn't sure if he'll be able to reach him at that moment.

Sometimes, no matter how much he stared at his reflection, Gene didn't show up. The last time Oliver spoke to him was a few months ago when he was suffering from a fit of, as Gene called it, 'love sickness.'

Gene did nothing but tell him again and again that it was Oliver's fault in the first place – Gene already warned him but he didn't listen, Oliver had his own heart telling him not to abandon her but he did, and more.

Oliver stood staring at his reflection. He had his nightwear on – a pair of blue striped pyjamas. The key necklace dangled from his neck with the key against his chest.

He gently held the key in his fingers and closed his eyes. Was it really time to let Mai go?

He slowly opened his eyes and stood shocked as his reflection didn't touch the dangling key on its chest. He looked at the reflection of his face and saw a different him smiling warmly back.

"Gene," he said.

"Fate is giving you another chance," he said.

"What..?"

Gene glared at him. "Lose her again and I swear I'll give you nightmares every night of your life!"

Oliver stood frozen in place.

* * *

><p>Mai sighed as she covered her self with the blanket.<p>

She had been in England for almost a year now, and yet she still hasn't quite adjusted to the cold climate.

Her co-worker and roommate, Florence, said that it was because of the fact that their sleeping quarters weren't suited for sleeping. The beds were narrow, the cushions were thin, the blankets were even thinner, and the pillows were hard.

Mai sighed as she held the stiff pillow beneath her head. Ever since Naru went away, she couldn't sleep without embracing a pillow and sleeping on top of it at the same time.

She still felt like she would drown if she lay flat on the bed.

Mai thought about her stay in England. The first time she came, she was amazed at the place, despite the frequent rain showers. She was also worried that she might come across Naru.

It had been a year and still no sign of him so her anxiety was replaced with sadness and disappointment – she would never see him again. Of course that was good. After all, Naru probably hated her because it took him how many months before he found Gene when he could have gotten Gene earlier.

Mai curled into a ball. The room was extremely cold that her jaws were beginning to tremble.

She also didn't see Gene in her sleep anymore. She longed to tell him so many things about her trips, her work, and how all the things he taught her became useful.

At first she thought it was because Gene was also upset with her since she told Naru about where he was but later on, she realized that perhaps Gene had already moved on to the other world. After all, his remains that were found in the lake were buried properly already.

Mai frowned. She had already been in England for quite a long time but she still hasn't visited his grave.

Well it couldn't be helped. After all, she was barely able to look around ever since she came. Her 'master' barely let servants out. And he was very strict in not allowing anyone to have too much connection outside the house.

Mai shook her head to keep her mind from wandering too much. She instead closed her eyes and waited for sleep to reach her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mai," Florence said as she put the bag of groceries on the kitchen isle.

Their master was out and they were preparing lunch for themselves.

Mai walked in and helped Florence take out the groceries.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow? It's our day off," Florence said.

Mai smiled. "I do but I'm going to need some help," she said. Ever since she came, she barely spoke her own language. Florence, who was half Japanese, could only speak English and French.

"Ah! You'll go exploring, yes? Perhaps Edmund and I can help," she said.

Mai chuckled. "It's okay," she said. "It's your date tomorrow. You deserve the whole day to be with him."

Florence sighed. "Oh but I want to help you," she said. "You barely go out."

"Don't worry," Mai said. "How about I meet you for lunch?"

"That would be absolutely great," Florence said excitedly.

Mai gently took the newspaper from the eggs in the paper bag. The master only bought eggs in the farm since it was cheaper. And he didn't like having the eggs put in the boxes. He preferred to see them in bags.

He had this weird belief that it would cost him more if the eggs were put in boxes.

Since the daily newspapers were never delivered in the house, and since the farm used newspapers as cushions to the eggs, Mai made an extra effort to straighten the papers and read it. After all, servants weren't allowed to sit around and read so she might as well sneak while possible.

"Is that new?" Florence asked eyeing the newspaper she stretched on the table.

"It's dated last week," Mai said, examining the paper. She was about to turn it over when he saw a picture of a young man with black hair and blue eyes.

Mai gasped. "Naru..?"

"Who..?" Florence asked looking at the picture. "Oh!" she excitedly said. "That's Dr. Oliver Davis!"

Mai looked stunned at Florence. "What..?"

"Dr. Oliver Davis," Florence said. "He's this genius who has these psychic abilities! Well, they don't exactly laud him for the abilities since it's still a controversial matter. But if there's absolutely a real psychic, that would be him."

Mai stood stunned at Florence.

Dr. Oliver Davis..?

"He saved a child who was buried alive just by doing a psychometric reading on one of the child's things," she said.

That was Naru alright.

"But a lot of people know him because of his studies in the field of science. He has acclaimed contributions to parapsychology, physics, psychology, and even chemistry!" Florence said.

Mai looked at Naru's picture. No wonder he called her 'idiot.' He was a genius.

"He graduated college at a very early age," Florence continued. "He started teaching as a professor in the university at the same age an average person studies in high school. He's **that** smart. Not to mention he is so handsome! He looks like a model!"

Mai smiled at the photo.

Yes, Naru was very handsome.

"It's too bad that his twin brother died two years ago," Florence said.

Mai sighed.

…Gene…

"Eugene Davis," Florence added. "He was smart and handsome too, but he took his time in studying unlike Oliver. Oliver just kept on studying until he graduated with a doctorate degree."

"Wow," Mai said. "So smart people are featured in papers here, huh?"

"Oh no," Florence said. "Not really…although in Oliver's case it's probable because he's a genius. But you see Oliver Davis is the adopted son of Dr. Martin Davis. He's a very wealthy scientist. He's the head of the research institute here in England that deals with paranormal activities."

Mai stood amazed at Florence's story. She didn't expect Gene and Naru to be that prominent, although she did think they were rich because Naru was able to ride an airplane to Japan.

She sighed and looked at the picture.

She really had no right to see him again.

"You called him Naru..?" Florence asked.

"Oh…I thought he was someone I knew," Mai said.

Florence nodded. "And that person's name is Naru..?"

Mai chuckled. "No, not really," she said. "His name is Shibuya Kazuya. But I call him Naru because he's narcissistic."

Florence chuckled. "He must be handsome too if you thought he was Oliver Davis."

Mai nodded and looked away. She read the article with Naru's paper and learned about a study he had that received a coveted award in the field of science.

* * *

><p>"Your parents just want the best for you," Lin said as he drove the car with Oliver in the passenger seat.<p>

They were riding the car to the cemetery. Oliver requested to visit his brother after he woke up that morning so Lin went with him.

Oliver just looked out the window.

Lin looked at Oliver from the corner of his eyes. "Are you still mad at them?"

Oliver sighed. "I can never hate them," he said. "They're my parents. They are mine and Gene's parents. They raised us and loved us as their own ever since they got us from the orphanage."

Lin sighed. "You're just upset with them."

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "I know why they're doing it," he said. "I just… I'm not ready for that."

Lin nodded.

* * *

><p>Mai sighed in relief as she walked in the cemetery.<p>

The cemetery where Gene was buried in was a private one. She was lucky she was able to fool the guards by stating that she was a servant of the Davis family who was ordered to check Gene's grave since his death anniversary was coming and the family was thinking about visiting the grave soon.

Mai walked toward the direction that the guards gave about where Gene's grave was.

At the end of the article about Naru was a brief account about Gene. Mai asked Florence about where Gene was probably buried and decided to visit the grave on her day off.

It didn't take long for her to see the stone marker with the name 'Eugene Davis.' She walked toward it and offered a prayer.

"Hey, Gene," she said as she knelt down. "Remember me?"

* * *

><p>Lin drove inside the cemetery and parked the car. They got out of the car and walked to the grave.<p>

Naru carried a rose in one hand. He didn't like to bring anything since Gene wasn't fond of flowers but he needed a reason to give for visiting the grave.

* * *

><p>Mai stood up and stared at the grave. "I really missed you."<p>

Oliver reached the grave and froze.

Lin was close behind him. He noticed Oliver stiffen. "What is it?" He looked at where Oliver was staring at.


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow! You all never fail to amaze me _^ v ^ _Thank you so much again for reading and reviewing my babies "Are you happy?" and "Key," and for all your heart-warming comments about my writing. Those were really inspiring._

_Here are the next chapters. Please read and review and...just between us...Ghost Hunt is not mine _^ v ^ _Enjoy!_

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><p>There was a yellow chrysanthemum on the grave stone.<p>

Oliver knelt down and gently took the flower in his hand

He saw a faint familiar image of a young woman with short brown hair.

"Mai..?"

Lin gently stepped away from the grave and ran to the guard house.

"Did someone visit Eugene Davis' grave this morning?" Lin asked a cemetery guard.

"She said she's a maid from your mansion, sir," the guard said.

"Ah yes," Lin said. "Can I check your record for what time she came? She forgot to do something I advised her to do. I need to know if she came on time."

The guard showed him the record.

Lin sighed.

There was a handwritten name on the record – Mai Taniyama.

* * *

><p>Oliver yawned. He had been sitting on his office chair, listening to Lin's reminders.<p>

"...And you will be attending the launching of the project at nine in the evening," Lin said, eyeing him.

It had been a week since they saw the chrysanthemum on Gene's grave. Lin and Oliver agreed to keep it a secret between them.

It was Saturday and Oliver had no class to lecture. He was scheduled to meet the secretary's daughter at lunch as Luella requested. Luella loved her son and she understood that Oliver wanted to know the girl more before they pushed through with the engagement so they postponed the supposed engagement banquet and instead scheduled a lunch date for the future couple.

Oliver just stared lazily at the book on his table.

"Again," Lin said sighing. "Your mother expects you to be in the restaurant for lunch."

Oliver looked at Lin. "We both know she's not the only one who's going to be there."

Lin sighed again and sat down. "Just tell them already."

Oliver glared at Lin. "...And have my father degrade her..? No!"

Lin rolled his eyes. "He'll understand if you tell them everything."

Oliver looked away. "I'm free to finish my research this morning, right?"

"Yes," Lin said.

"And you'll be off with dad in an errand for a case, correct?"

"...For a short while, yes..."

Oliver nodded and sat up straight. He began to read his book and type some notes on his netbook. "You can go now," he said.

Lin nodded and stood up from his seat. He walked to the door and took a quick glance at Oliver before he walked out.

Oliver kept on reading and typing notes while Lin drove the car out of the gate. It was only after he stopped hearing the car's purr that he got up from his chair and immediately put on the coat and black newsboy cap from his lap.

He turned off his netbook, and slowly opened his office window.

This was one of the things he loved about big sliding windows.

Oliver got out of the window and carefully climbed sideways to reach the window of the other room. The second window was closer to the fence so he climbed toward it and jumped from the second floor to the branch of the large tree that stood near the fence.

He almost fell on the bushes below.

Luckily, he had been doing the feat ever since they moved to the mansion. He recalled how he coaxed his naïve older twin to escape from the mansion and take walks on the market instead of studying with their tutor.

Oliver took a deep breath before he made his way to the fence – climbing down to the bushes while making sure no servant noticed his escape.

Upon reaching the ground, Oliver fixed his coat and newsboy cap. Taking a last look at everything around him, he began to walk out of the narrow alley that was next to the fence of the house.

* * *

><p>Mai took a deep breath and sighed. She had been trudging the brick pavements of the town with a long list in her hand.<p>

It was the first time that she was given the task of purchasing the needed food and groceries in the market. Since the butler went away to attend to a family issue, the ambitious and irritating kitchen maid who always had the task of going to the market decided to order every servant of the mansion around.

And since the maid hated Mai to the bone for some unknown reason, she ordered Mai to go to the market with a ton of goods listed on a piece of paper. Mai was sure that not all of the things listed there were necessary but the cook decided that there was no harm in buying all of the things in the list.

Mai looked around the market to check the stalls for the things that she needed to buy.

She rarely went to the market alone. Florence always went there with her. And they always went straight to the cheapest grocery shop for supplies.

But what she was supposed to buy at that moment were supplies for the master so it didn't seem right for her to head toward the shop and buy the things she needed there.

Mai looked at the fruits and vegetables from one stall to another – unable to decide where to start buying the things she needed.

She sighed.

At least the sky was clear.

* * *

><p>Oliver walked around the market.<p>

He looked at one stall to another mentally taking a note of the quality and prices of the fruits and vegetables that were present in every stall. He already had a mental note of what stalls to go to in case he wanted to buy particular ingredients for any recipe – not that he cooked anything.

Neither Oliver nor Eugene had any idea of how to cook. They helped Luella in making cookies before when they were younger. He could still remember the ingredients, but never the correct quantity of each to make the cookies edible enough. He didn't even recall how long it would take to cook the mixture.

They both thought that the kitchen wasn't a place for them, and the library instead was – at least for Oliver, that was true.

Oliver loved studying. He loved to read. He loved keeping his mind busy. He loved building his mental and intellectual skills continuously. Eugene loved to take his time in learning. He was always the more patient one.

Don't be fooled though. Gene also had his fair share of egoistic tendencies and impatience. He just…he controlled it more than Oliver did.

When Oliver muttered about how bad or how too expensive the goods in the market were, Eugene always hushed him to avoid offending the vendors.

Oliver glared at the fruits and vegetables that didn't pass his standards.

No matter how much he criticized the goods in his mind, he could no longer air out his opinions verbally for some reason. Perhaps it was the loss of Gene's voice that would prevent anyone from getting annoyed at his comments that kept him silent.

* * *

><p>"What..!" Lin exclaimed as he held the mobile phone against his ear.<p>

Madoka approached him with curious eyes.

They had just finished assisting Martin on a special case that the SPR had been investigating and they were now free to go home. They agreed to check on Noll first since he had been very pissed at the idea of being forced into marrying a woman who he barely knew.

"What is it, Lin?" Madoka asked him.

Lin looked anxiously at Madoka. "Call me for any development," he told the voice on the other line. He then ended the call and sighed, turning completely to face Madoka. "That was Gilbert," he said. "Oliver is gone – again."

Madoka sighed. "That kid is at it again," she said. "We better find him before lunch or Luella will panic!"

Lin nodded and walked out of the office with Madoka.


	5. Chapter 5

Mai carried a paper bag of tomatoes. For some odd reason, the quantities written on the list seemed too much as well. By the time she finished shopping, she was sure that she wouldn't be able to carry all the bags of goods home by herself.

Mai sighed. She would have to call Florence who was at that day in charge of cleaning the attic.

She continued to walk through the crowd, eyeing every stall for the food she needed to buy.

* * *

><p>Oliver walked through the crowd.<p>

The great thing about not being as popular as the royal people in the country and only working secretly for those people was that a newsboy cap and a coat was all it took to avoid unnecessary attention from people in the streets.

Unlike many of the popular people in the world, people with academic popularity rarely get paparazzo on their tails. But then again, Oliver wasn't just popular because of his academic achievements, talents, and social status. He was also popular because of his looks.

He remembered hearing Madoka telling him and Gene about being featured in a popular teen magazine as part of the top five most handsome people in the continent. The said publication featured a paparazzi photo of the twins while working on a case in Ireland.

Oliver remembered how their parents felt so proud about seeing their picture on the magazine. A whole spread was dedicated to their photo.

The article about them talked about how college girls swooned over them, especially when they went to the universities to do lectures. It also spoke about the twins receiving various awards for their exceptional beauty in various activities in their university.

Gene laughed at the photo. He thought that whoever took the picture was a very lucky man since it didn't look much like a paparazzi photo.

The left side of the magazine spread had Eugene Davis standing elegantly and smiling charmingly at Oliver Davis, who was on the right side of the spread. Oliver was looking at him with his trademark serious face. They were both wearing the uniform from the elite university where they studied in. At that time, Oliver recalled, the twins directly went to the place of the case after the end of their class – hence the uniforms.

According to the article on the spread, the magazine's survey respondents couldn't decide who of the twins was more beautiful since they looked the same. After all, they were identical twins.

Even the difference of their characters couldn't break the confusion. It seemed like a lot of females loved Oliver's superior, silent, and confident personality just as much as they adored Eugene's modest, cheerful, and timid self.

The news said that the only reason why the twins didn't get the first place in the list was because the manager of the actor who ranked first paid the magazine a lot of money.

The twins of course didn't care about the news, even after hearing about how they took the top spots in the three years that followed. They already knew how beautiful they were hence their devotion to preserving their well being.

It was two months after Gene's burial that Oliver heard about the articles on the magazine that mourned Gene's death. Even the female population that patronized the teen magazines expressed their grief in the loss of Eugene Davis. He read various messages and shout-outs online that came from avid fans of his twin. There were even consoling messages addressed to Oliver.

Oliver didn't feel any lighter upon reading them however – not as much as Mai's smile did.

Oliver shook his head.

Every time he let his mind wander about mundane things in his life – past, present, and future – he ended up with thinking about Mai.

Next he'll be seeing her standing in the middle of the crowd before him wearing a brown coat with a paper bag of tomatoes in one arm and looking aimlessly at the market stalls.

Oliver froze.

He saw the brown haired girl amidst the crowd.

There was no mistake.

He knew those round eyes. He knew that innocent profile.

"Mai," he breathed.

His heart skipped several beats, speeding like a horse in the race track aiming to reach the finish line.

"Mai," he found his self muttering as he moved through the crowd.

* * *

><p>Mai kept walking through the crowd. More people were in the market now. She would lose the chance to buy the best fruits and vegetables for the master.<p>

Mai sighed. If only it was the market where she worked in before…

She would have finished shopping by now. She knew where to go and how to bargain with vendors to save money.

She remembered the people that she worked with in the market and sighed. She wasn't even able to say good bye to them.

The last time she saw them was the day before she graduated – when she and Takumi finalized their plan after the graduation ceremony. She told them that she would be moving somewhere else. They all hoped that she would have a better life in wherever it was that she was going to move to.

She didn't tell anyone where she was moving to. She didn't even tell Emi and her family that she had the contract to work in England. All she said was that she was going to visit someone.

She didn't tell Bou-san or Ayako that she was moving. She knew that like Emi's family, they would offer her their house to live in instead. After all, they had been telling her about it a number of times before.

"If Naru tries to leave you, move in with me," she remembered Bou-san say several times. "I'll take care of you."

Mai smiled sadly.

Naru left her. She didn't do what they told her to do. She didn't even say good bye to them personally. She just sent them letters. She didn't even write about what her plans were.

She wondered if they felt worried about her when she left the house – when she disappeared.

Mai slapped her face and shook her head.

There was no reason for them to worry. They weren't related to her by blood. They all had their own families. It was very selfish of her to assume that they were hers.

A lot of these thoughts came to mind when she came to the training centre. There were a lot of them crammed up in a small apartment. They trained them how to speak English, do various house chores, how to behave toward their foreign masters…

She would be lying if she said that she was okay with where she was. There was no time and day that she hoped someone she knew would get her out of the place. No matter how small her apartment was, it felt so much more spacious than the centre. She couldn't believe that such a place existed.

There were also several times when the people in charge of the centre tried to put her into the group of women who were going to be shipped as prostitutes. They were all almost the same age as her.

It was a good thing that Takumi did everything to keep her away from the group. He bargained and fought until the people in charge adhered to the contract. After a year in the centre, she was sent abroad to a household with a brute as master of the house.

Despite being overworked and under paid she found herself lucky. At least she didn't have to wake up every day wondering how many ugly guys would force their disgusting selves to her.

Mai cringed. She remembered how the girls she knew studied how to drink alcohol and take drugs to gain enough strength and confidence to offer their selves to any man willing to pay for their service – young men, middle-aged men, old…

But every time she slept on her hard bed, biting her lips from wincing at the torture she tried to endure for the day, she wondered if she did the right decision in not joining those girls. She heard that they earned so much more than servants.

Mai shook her head and sped up her pace in walking. It seemed like the more she took her time to look for the goods, the more she thought about senseless things.

"Mai!"

Mai froze. For a moment she thought she heard Naru's voice calling her name.


	6. Chapter 6

She shook her head and decided to quicken her pace. She saw a store that seemed to have a flock of customers and decided to make her way toward it.

Oliver could barely move in the crowd now. He was slowly losing Mai.

"Mai!"

It seemed like she didn't hear anything. If she did, she seemed to run away from it.

Oliver felt something twist painfully in his chest. Mai was running from him. Mai hated him.

Oliver winced. Well, she had all the right to hate him. He didn't keep his promise. He didn't let her explain. He didn't thank her.

He just left her.

Oliver could see the back of Mai's head in the crowd as it moved through the small gaps away from him. His feet kept stepping forward in pursuit of her.

The head with the familiar brown locks disappeared several times in the crowd.

Oliver widened his steps, ignoring the rude remarks of the people he hit in his way.

He was so close now. He could reach her shoulder if he stretched his arm.

So he reached out and held her shoulder.

"Mai," he sighed in relief as she stopped – obviously feeling his hand on her shoulder. "Mai I…"

She turned and looked at him.

Oliver stepped back.

She had blue eyes, a pointed nose, and a pair of puckered lips.

"Yes..?" she said, noticing his handsome face no doubt.

"My apologies," Oliver quickly said. "I thought you were someone else." He quickly walked away from the girl before she began to overtly flirt with him.

Oliver cursed as he walked through the crowd.

How could he think of seeing Mai in the crowd? Mai was in the other side of the world. She was missing.

Though there was a bit of hope inside him whenever he remembered the yellow chrysanthemum on Gene's grave – the vision it gave him about a brown-haired girl placing it on the grave stone.

Oliver continued his walk toward nowhere.

He honestly had no idea where to go. All he knew was that he didn't want to go back home and write his lesson plans for the next month. He didn't also want to be on time for lunch to see his mother and the girl they chose for him to marry.

* * *

><p>"Could he be going out of the country again?" Madoka asked as she sat in the passenger seat of Lin's car.<p>

They drove through town looking for Noll.

"I doubt it," Lin said, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove. "He didn't have enough money. If Gilbert was correct, Noll left through the window with only what he had when I last saw him in his office."

"Where could he be then?" Madoka asked anxiously.

"I have a theory," he said parking the car near the market area.

* * *

><p>Mai walked out of the store with a bag of vegetables. She wasn't sure about the quality of the things she bought but her gut believed it was fresh and good enough for the price she paid for them.<p>

No wonder there were so many people in the store.

She looked both ways. It was still quite a crowd.

Mai sighed. She still had a lot to buy despite the fact that the paper bag she carried made her two arms occupied with carrying it.

She would need to call Florence.

Mai tried to carry the bag in one arm and slowly reached for the mobile phone in her pocket using her free arm.

It was a very old mobile phone. It was probably the biggest unit of phone in the place. After all, she didn't have enough money to buy a trendier phone.

She also rarely bought a prepaid load card for it since the only numbers in its phonebook were Florence's, Takumi's, her employer's, and the embassy – all of which were kept in her memory.

Luckily, Florence made sure that she had enough balance in her phone service to place a call to her when she got to the market.

Mai stopped walking and did her best to stay in the side of the alley. The flow of the crowd however was too strong. She moved away from the people hitting her to let them walk freely, unaware that it pushed her to stand in the middle of the alley street.

* * *

><p>Oliver went on looking at the stalls despite how people had diminished his personal space.<p>

He didn't like being too close to people but he also didn't want to go anywhere else for some reason so he bit his pride and just moved with the crowd.

More people seemed to bump him from behind so he turned around to see what was happening.

Oliver sighed. The delivery trucks used the alley again as a road. Of course with the width of the alley, why not?

The people were moving away from the approaching truck filled with crates of watermelon. Oliver also stepped closer to the side of the alley. Since he wasn't thinking of going somewhere specific, he stopped to stand in the side and waited for the truck to pass.

He looked at the crates of fruits on the truck as it passed by him. He wasn't that much fond of watermelons but he did wonder where it would be brought to.

He watched it cut the crowd in half.

He watched the people in the crowd move to the side…except for one.

* * *

><p>Mai got her mobile phone out after a couple of minutes of trying to balance the bags in one arm. She didn't notice how the people slammed against her more than they did before. She was too focused on getting her phone out to notice why the crowd moved in such a way.<p>

"MAI!"

Mai froze.

There it was again – her imagination going wild – Naru's voice calling out her name.

She already had the phone against her ear when she heard another imaginary call from behind her.

This time, she turned around to prove her self that she was dreaming.

She froze.

She saw the truck amidst the deafening honk and it wasn't in any way trying to halt to a stop.


	7. Chapter 7

^ v ^_Thank you again for reading and reviewing the chapters I uploaded! _

_Here are the next chapters. _^ v ^_ Ghost Hunt is not mine. Please read and review!_

* * *

><p>They said that when you die, all the memories that you have in your life flash right before your very eyes.<p>

At that moment Mai saw two blinding tried to run but the vehicle was too fast. She screamed as she felt the stone-hard bumper hit her waist, hurling her upper body forward – crashing her face hard on the solid glass. Pain surged from her face, from her waist, from her limbs…

Then she felt her body bounce and roll from the vehicle to the pavement. She started to feel small flames burning in every part of her body. By the time her body stopped rolling, she could barely move...

...And in front of the truck was Naru – running toward her with a frantic expression on his face – something she was sure her memories of him or her imagination could never conjure.

* * *

><p>"NOLL!" Madoka called as they saw Oliver run in front of the truck.<p>

Lin was about to run to get Oliver out of the truck's way when he saw a young woman stunned and standing at the place where Oliver seemed to be running to.

He stopped and watched Oliver quickly pull the young woman toward his chest.

* * *

><p>Mai didn't know what happened next. The only thing she remembered was seeing black, feeling a strong force push her somewhere, and falling seated on the stone pavement.<p>

She felt the warm arms hold her close to someone's beating chest. She opened her eyes and saw her mobile phone on the place where she must have stood earlier.

She gasped in shock as a truck drove over it – crushing the phone to pieces.

"The phone," Oliver heard Mai mumble under her breath.

He eyed the crushed remnants of the phone. By the looks of it, he concluded that it was a very old, if not ancient, model – Mai was being extra thrifty to her self…again.

He sighed and looked at Mai whom he held tightly against his chest.

It felt as if his body missed every inch of the gesture. It brought back memories he had inside the cramped apartment one night when she seemed to have had the most terrible nightmare. It brought back the surge of adrenaline in his veins upon seeing her struggles to breathe, her pale skin, and her purple lips. It reminded him of that same state of relief when she began to feel better upon holding her tight in his arms – upon reminding her that he was there and that he needed her beside him.

It was only after coming back to England with the painful realization that he had let her slip away from his life forever, that he realized what the nightmare she had that night would have been. It was ever since that nightmare that their ties took a drastic turn. He gained the freedom to do intimate gestures he never thought he could do, while Mai slowly immersed her self into a pool of secrecy – masking every pain she felt with her smiles.

The nightmare she had must have been Gene's last moments alive – the same vision he had upon touching Gene's shirt.

He couldn't blame her. He himself barely enjoyed sleeping ever since. His body felt like drowning every night that he tried to sleep.

"Are you alright?" he asked her without thinking about how out-of-character it was.

Mai nodded sadly. "Yes," she said. She now understood why the stranger tugged her into that corner. She was so stupid not to notice the truck. "Thank you for saving me," she said noticing only the gold key that hung against the man's warm chest.

The stranger helped her stand.

"Two years, and you're still the idiot that you are," the stranger muttered.

Mai's eyes went wide in shock. The stranger wasn't a stranger. How idiot in deed she was to not recognize the voice and the scent of the man still holding her in his arms as they stood. And he used her native tongue to speak to her!

Oliver watched Mai's eyes look at him tearfully.

"Nar…"

Oliver was about to smirk when Mai gasped and covered her lips.

"Dr. Davis!"

Oliver was taken aback. Well, if Mai was there she was sure to know who he was because of the press featuring him in several articles lately.

But he felt a touch of disappointment upon hearing them. His chest twisted painfully at the realization that everything between them had changed.

Mai watched his eyes give a glare at her. She swallowed loudly, realizing that she may have ruined his plans of mixing in with the crowd. He was quite a popular figure there after all, and seeing how people seemed to ignore him was odd.

He must have been trying to hide his identity and there she was spilling everything.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

Oliver quickly pulled her by the wrist into a narrow alley nearby. "You're such an idiot," he muttered.

* * *

><p>"Aw," Madoka dreamily sighed. "Noll saved that girl!"<p>

Lin eyed Oliver and Mai from the corner where he and Madoka stood. He watched them talk closely to one another in the shade of the narrow alley.

Oliver seemed to know her personally, as the girl did the same.

Lin's brows shot up in realization. "Taniyama Mai," he whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>"Kaiba-san got you here after all," Oliver said looking at her while still holding her wrist in his side.<p>

Mai shyly looked away. "He really did everything to get me here as a maid," she said. "He even defended me from being transported here as a prostitute. I'm really a housemaid here."

Oliver's eyes widened.

She almost got shipped into the country as a harlot..!

Mai stepped back, wanting to cover her face in his intense stare. She and her big mouth…she shouldn't have spilled too much information.

She tried to lift her hands but she realized that he was now holding her by her wrists.

Oliver noticed Mai's fearful expression change into confusion, deep thought and then shock.

"The vegetables!" she gasped. She quickly turned to where they were before and found the vegetables she bought crushed on the pavement.

Oliver pulled her closer to him, sensing how much her body wanted to faint at the sight of the severed groceries.

Mai sighed in disappointment – water filling the side of her eyes.

"You should have paid attention to your surroundings instead of talking on the phone," Oliver said in his usual cold tone. "It was your fault."

Mai frowned at Oliver. "Geez, Naru. You're such a comforting person, aren't you?"

Oliver smirked seeing the pout she always made when she frowned, and hearing his nickname from her lips.

Mai looked away, not realizing that he called him 'Naru.' She was still to busy thinking about how mad the people in the house would be if they learned that she let a truck crush the food she bought using their market budget.

"I'm going to need to call Florence," she mumbled.

Oliver winced.

And who the bloody hell would this Florence be?

Mai looked at him again. "Do you know where I can find a phone booth here?"

Oliver raised a brow. "Is this your first time to be in the market place?"

Mai scowled. "Yes," she said. "And because I know how all-knowing you are, I was wondering if you could give me some directions on where I could use one..?"

Oliver pulled out his phone from his pocket and handed it to Mai.

Mai noticed that it looked like the same phone unit that he had two years ago.

She slowly took the phone and stared blankly at it.

Oliver sighed. "That's a mobile phone," he said. "You dial a number, press the call button, hold it against your ear, and talk to the person you want to talk to."

Mai glared at him. "I know that," she said, dialling Florence's number. She then held it against her ear and waited for Florence's voice.

"Florence! This is Mai," Oliver heard Mai say on the phone after a moment of waiting. He couldn't help but feel amazed at how fluent Mai sounded in English.

It was then that he noticed the key dangling against his chest. He quickly hid it beneath his shirt.

"I have a bit of a problem," Mai said. "Oh I'm already in the market. But the vegetables I bought were overrun by a truck…"

Oliver heard a loud 'what' from whoever was on the other line.

"Calm down, Florence," Mai said. "I'm okay. No, I wasn't hurt but the vegetables… No, Florence. I wasn't wounded or injured. I called because I was wondering if you could help me get the groceries home later... I'm planning on withdrawing money from my account so I can replace the vegetables that were overrun by the truck. No, it's okay. Don't worry. I can do this on my own. I'll just need some help getting the groceries home…"

Oliver smirked. Mai **was** a housemaid. She must have been given the task of buying groceries in the market.

He looked at the crushed vegetables.

"I'll…oh uh yes the phone," Mai said sadly. "It got smashed too. I dropped it when I was pulled away from the truck's way." Oliver saw a bright blush creep up to her cheeks. "Uh…A friend of mine saw me and saved me…and he lent me this phone."

Oliver heard a loud 'he' echoing from the phone.

"Yes, 'he,'" Mai said. "It's a long story. I'll tell you when we meet later, okay? I'm eating up his minutes…"

Not really. Oliver rarely used his phone so he didn't mind having Mai use all of his call minutes.

"Sure, I'll meet you there before lunch. Okay, see you!" And with that Mai ended the call and handed the phone back to Oliver. "Here, thank you."

Oliver took it and kept it in his pocket again. "You shouldn't have bought those vegetables in this part of the market," he said.

Mai froze. "Oh…"

Oliver looked at her. "Vegetables here are still too expensive for their quality."

Mai looked down. "I see…Um can you tell me where I should go?"

Oliver walked away from her and went toward the direction that the truck took.

Mai stood watching him.

Oliver stopped and turned to look at her. "Are you just going to stand there?"

Mai smiled stiffly and quickly walked by his side.

Oliver held her wrist in his hand.

Mai felt her cheeks warm up. She looked at Oliver.

"Look at where you're going," Oliver said. "I won't look for you if you get lost in this crowd."

Mai looked away shyly and smiled. "So…Dr…"

"Don't call me that."

Mai stiffly turned her head away. "Um…Oli…"

"No."

"Shibuya-san..?" Mai asked.

Oliver smirked. "So that's why you're such an idiot. All your intellect was replaced with courtesy. At least you're of some use."

Mai glared at him. "And all your courtesy was replaced by your egoistic nature!"

"…Which makes me a very striking intellectual," he finished.

Mai rolled his eyes. "You forgot narcissistic, NARU."

Oliver smiled and pulled her closer.

* * *

><p>Madoka bit her lips from letting out a giggle.<p>

She and Lin walked subtly behind Oliver and Mai.

Lin eyed Madoka in confusion.

Madoka looked up at him and smiled. "Aren't you amazed at what that girl could do to Noll?"

Lin raised his brows.

Madoka chuckled. "Look at them," she said turning to the youngsters walking in front of them. "Noll despises such close contact, especially with someone from the opposite sex. But look at him now. He's even the one pulling her closer to him."

Lin watched Oliver keep his close distance with Mai as they walked through the crowd and smirked in understanding.

Madoka sighed. "They look like a really cute couple," she said. "Do you think Noll would mind if we tell Luella and Martin about this?"

Lin was sure that Noll would be as mad as hell if he found out that he and Madoka spied on him. He might even be angrier if he learned about them telling his parents about a girl he acted so intimate with.

Aside from those probable facts, Lin also wasn't sure if Noll's engagement would still be affected by Noll having an intimate relationship with another girl.

"As much as I would love to keep him from such a problematic engagement," Lin began. "I'm not sure Noll would agree to use that girl to get him out of the situation."

Madoka nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

Florence stood shocked and frozen.

It was an hour before lunch when Mai and Naru met her outside the market place.

Despite the newsboy cap that hid much of Oliver's hair, Florence could still clearly distinguish the handsome face of the celebrity who stood before her carrying a bag of vegetables beside Mai, who was also carrying a bag of her own.

Mai sighed.

She forgot how much of an Oliver Davis fan Florence was. She suddenly wondered if Takigawa would also act that way if he learned that he had been rubbing elbows with the famous psychic he admired so much, Oliver Davis, in those times that he had glaring competitions with Yasuhara's assistant bartender.

Mai winced and shook her head. She had to stop thinking about those memories.

Naru watched her closely from the corner of his eyes. He saw the pain and regret on her face.

Mai took a deep breath and smiled at Florence. "Hey, Florence!" she greeted in English.

The moment Florence spotted them walking toward her, she stood frozen on her spot. Her jaw dropped terribly low upon taking a closer look at the tall man beside Mai.

"Florence," Mai called again.

Florence was too awestruck to mind her for some reason.

Mai rolled her eyes and pulled Florence's arm to make the girl face her – which was harder than she thought because Florence was taller than her.

Florence jolted upon seeing Mai's face. "Oh Mai," she greeted. "Hey, I came as soon as I could."

Mai chuckled. "Yes, thank you. Is that our cab..?" she asked eyeing the taxi car parked behind her.

"Oh yes!" Florence said, realizing the vehicle waiting behind her. She turned to Mai's companion again to get the paper bag of groceries but she froze again.

Mai sighed again and offered her bag to Florence. "Here," she said. "I'll take the other one."

Florence nodded and quickly loaded Mai's bag of groceries into the cab. She turned back to Mai in time to see Mai taking the bag from Oliver.

"Sorry," Mai said in Japanese upon carrying the bag in her arms. "She's a big fan of yours."

Naru remained silent.

Mai smiled at him. "Thank you so much for your help by the way."

Naru raised a brow at her. "You think all the disturbance that you put me through today is just worth a 'thank you'?"

Mai stared surprised at Naru. "You're…asking something more..?"

"Shouldn't I?" Naru asked. "Those three hours of walking was supposed to be dedicated to my daily leisure stroll. Instead I ended up helping you buy and carry these in the market."

Mai frowned at Naru. "Narcissistic jerk," she muttered. "Well I can't pay you for the time you lost."

"I wasn't expecting a monetary compensation," Naru said. "Knowing you, you won't even have a coin to spare for anything."

Mai glared at Naru. "What can I do in return for his Excellency's kindness then?"

Naru turned to look at a café nearby. "You see that café..?"

Mai nodded.

Naru looked at her again. "Meet me there tomorrow at nine in the morning."

Mai froze. Was he planning on making her his servant in exchange for his help?

"And what if I can't..?"She asked.

Naru glared at her – hard, cold, and scary.

Mai felt a shock of fear jolt through her veins. "...Y-yes! I'll be there tomorrow at nine."

Naru's eyes softened before nodding at her.

Mai sighed and got into the cab.

Florence followed her while she watched Oliver smirk at Mai's back. She noticed how Oliver waited for the cab to turn into an intersection before he stepped away from where he stood.

Florence immediately turned to Mai. "You **have** to tell me what happened to you," she said. "...And in absolute detail!"

Mai swallowed loudly and looked away.

* * *

><p>Oliver yawned…in public…<p>

Luella stared shock at her son. Aside from Oliver arriving late in the lunch date she set up for him to meet Charlotte, the minister's daughter, her only son had also been overtly showing his disinterest in everything that Charlotte had been telling him.

He was even dismissing the points of scientific matters that Charlotte was pushing him to defend against her views.

"I see you're a little tired," Charlotte said upon seeing Oliver yawn. "So you really are a workaholic, aren't you?"

Oliver looked at Charlotte for the first time since he sat down in the table to meet her and his mother.

Luella took a deep breath and with pleading eyes looked at Noll. She knew what Noll was planning to do.

"And I see that you're really an insensible person," he said coldly. "You already notice how too tired I am to sit here and listen to your personal rants about everything that you see as part of your world, and yet you keep me seated here to hear more of your voice."

Luella covered her face in shame.

Charlotte looked away, hiding the blush on her face. "Oh," she said. "...My sincere apologies. It's just that everyone I've spoken to before said that my voice was soothing enough to calm any stressed person," she said smiling at him.

Oliver kept his cold gaze at her. "Then do take my advice because as I see it, the people you spoke with were either too stubborn to dismiss the fact that your voice alone is irritating, or they were too satisfied with the amount of bribe they received for keeping their mouths from giving honest opinions toward you."

Luella glared at Oliver. She knew that her glare was nothing to her son's but it was worth a try, right?

Charlotte chuckled. "I'm very flattered that you're being honest with me, Oliver."

"I suggest you address me properly," Oliver said. "We are after all in the university grounds and much of the people here in this café are aware of you being a student of mine in one of my classes."

Charlotte smirked. "You care too much for my reputation," she said. "I don't mind the gossips. After all, I will be married to you later on."

"You got it wrong," Oliver said. "It's my reputation that I wish to keep in tact. I don't like hearing false news about me dating a student who failed paranormal psychology considering it is one of the areas of science that I highly regard."

Charlotte looked away. "You didn't give me a passing mark in that subject."

"As was most suited since you weren't as patient and diligent as the students I gave passing marks to in that class," Oliver said. "Need I remind you of how many of my requirements you missed to submit because you were too busy trying to invite me to dinner?"

"Don't you think that should all be in the past now? I'm already an accomplished scientist, even as a student in the university," Charlotte replied. "And besides, we would be husband and wife."

"Exactly why it is most embarrassing for me," Oliver said. "You must understand that one of the things that you get from marrying your former teacher is how the teacher would regard you always as a student and rarely something more. You can't expect me to not gauge your actions based on the image you portrayed as my student."

Charlotte sighed. "But you must admit that there is no other woman who could be fit to be your wife more than I."

Oliver smirked. "I beg to differ."

Luella and Charlotte stared shocked at Oliver.

Was he in love with someone else?

Charlotte stiffly smiled at him. "Surely you are not thinking of, pardon this remark, your twin bother by that statement?"

Oliver kept a dark smirk on his face. "Ignoring the insult that you gave my departed brother, I must ask you to consult a dictionary for the meaning of the word 'wife.' You seem to have forgotten that it is only applicable to a female persona."

Charlotte chuckled. "I see," she said. "You are painting a picture of you being involved with someone to avoid our engagement. Need I remind you however that the main reason behind this engagement is because your parents wish to have you wed to a suitable bride? Surely since they agreed with this engagement, they also agree that I am most suitable for you...Unless you have not introduced her to your family."

Oliver kept his cold gaze at Charlotte.

"So tell me, Dr. Davis," Charlotte said after taking a sip of her tea. "Is she a graduate of any prestigious university? Is she a daughter of someone of royalty? Is she a recipient of various academic awards? Is she someone that your parents would want you to wed more than they would want you for me?"

Luella watched Oliver sit still and calmly in front of them. Was her son making up a story? Was he indeed with someone else?

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but a ring interrupted him.

He quickly pulled out his mobile phone and checked the screen.

It was an alarm – a reminder for him to start his time in the office to review some cases.

SPR received a number of reports about paranormal activities that people want to be investigated upon. To avoid wasting time and money, Oliver had offered a hand in reviewing the reports and giving advice on whether they should send a team or not to investigate the cases.

It wasn't as urgent as submitting a lesson plan but Oliver opted to excuse himself. He didn't like how defeated he appeared to be but he also didn't like talking to her more about the matter – not when his mother was there to hear about what he would say.

"I'm afraid I need to go," Oliver said standing up. "I am needed in the office."

"Oh," Charlotte said. "I thought you were given enough free time to attend this lunch."

"If you haven't noticed, it is already an hour and half after lunch."

Charlotte checked her watch and nodded. "I will see you again then," she said. "And you will tell me about this…woman next time."

Oliver stood up and turned to go. "Goodbye mother."

Luella sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

Oliver sat reading the folders of case reports taken to his office for review. He had sorted more than half of them into four piles – to be investigated upon, in need of more details, needs immediate action, and in no need of any investigation.

"Oliver," a voice echoed in his office.

He looked up toward the door and saw his father standing there and looking seriously at him.

"Your mother told me about what happened at lunch," he said closing the door behind him and walking closer to the table.

Oliver looked down at the folder he was reading, biting his lips from saying 'of course she did.'

"You told Charlotte that you have a more suitable bride in mind," Martin said sitting down on one of the chairs in the office. "Would you care to enlighten me in this matter?"

Oliver turned the page of the report he was reading and scribbled some notes on the page. "On what matter do you need enlightenment?"

Martin eyed him. "On the matter of you seeming to have someone else you wish to marry."

"I thought you no longer care for my opinion against the engagement."

"Your mother is worried that you're already involved with someone," Martin explained. "It would be quite a scandal."

Oliver glared at the folder. "So assuming but not conceding to mother's assumption that I am involved with someone, it will not at all affect the engagement you've arranged."

"Your engagement not only strengthens the bond that our family has with the science ministry," Martin said. "It also strengthens our credibility and integrity despite the numerous issues on our paranormal researches and investigations."

"Why ask me about the matter then?"

Martin sighed. "I want to know if that woman, if there is one, is in deed more suitable as a wife to you than Charlotte is. If you want to call off the engagement with Charlotte with this woman, you must at least provide us ample reason to do so."

"And what, may I ask, are your standards in deciding whether a woman is suitable for me or not?"

"Education and breeding are some," Martin said. "It would be a disgrace if you marry someone of very low education, especially since you yourself have finished your doctoral degree at a very early age."

Oliver kept his eyes on the page he was reading. He scribbled some notes again on the page.

"Breeding would be the woman's manners, of course," Martin said. "We are after all one of the most highly respected families in the country. I wouldn't want a daughter-in-law who would only disgrace you and us in gatherings. Family is also one. A bad family background would be bad for our reputation as well."

Oliver turned the page he was reading.

Martin looked at his son's emotionless face. "So if ever you do meet someone you see suitable as your wife, do introduce her to us."

"...On what ground? As you said earlier, it wouldn't sway you in your decision to push through with my engagement."

"We may not be swayed about it at the moment," Martin said. "But if she in deed complies with the standards we have, why won't we cancel your engagement?"

Oliver scribbled some notes on the page he was reading.

"So is there anyone, son?"

Oliver scribbled a few more notes on the page he was reading. "You ask as though you're accepting mother's assumption as true."

Martin huffed. "Well she doesn't have those instincts of hers for nothing," he said standing up from his seat. "I'll be in my office."

Oliver only listened to the sound of Martin's foot steps toward the door. He heard his office door close and sighed.

He lifted his gaze from the folder and found his left right hand fumbling the gold key hanging from his necklace.

* * *

><p>"You lived with Oliver Davis the whole time that he was in Japan!" Florence exclaimed in excitement.<p>

Mai had given her a brief account of how she and Naru first met while they were throwing the garbage.

"And he saved your life this morning! Blimey! You two are meant to be!"

Mai smiled shyly and shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Florence. He's just a friend. Our meeting earlier was a coincidence."

"Are you sure he didn't fall for you the whole time he was with you before?" Florence asked after closing the lid of the can. "I mean, he wouldn't smile like that at you if he's not interested. I know how guys are, Mai."

"…Smile at me..?" Mai asked in confusion.

Florence chuckled. "You may not have seen it but he smiled handsomely at you when you got in the cab. He even waited for the cab to turn in the intersection before he turned away from us. He kept his caring eyes on you."

Mai looked away, feeling a blush form in her cheeks. "No way," she said. "He's not like that."

Florence smirked. "You don't mean that. You said it yourself – he's just a little rough in the edges, but not in the inside."

"I didn't say that," Mai said pouting at Florence.

Florence chuckled. "You didn't say it literally but by how you told me about his personality when he was with you, that was what you meant."

Mai looked away and shrugged her shoulders.

"So what did you two talk about?" Florence said. "You spoke in Japanese so I didn't catch a lot of things that you two spoke of. I did catch something about the café there."

Mai nodded. "He asked me to meet him tomorrow in the café."

Florence squeaked in excitement. "Blow me! He asked you on a date!"

Mai shook her head. "He asked me to meet him in return for the time he wasted in helping me."

Florence smirked. "Preposterous," she said. "A man won't ask you to meet him somewhere just for that reason. I bet he only said that so he'll be sure that you would show up."

Mai looked away. "That's highly probable I guess," she said. "He **is** one hell of a tyrant."

Florence chuckled. "You're lucky tomorrow's your day off."

Mai sighed. "Am I really?"


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you for all the love you're giving this story through reading and reviewing these chapters ^_ v ^. _I just love all of you! _

_So here are the next chapters. Please read and review. ***Ghost Hunt is not mine***_ ^ v ^

* * *

><p>"Madoka told me about what happened in your lunch date," Lin said while he typed in the desktop computer in Oliver's office at home.<p>

Oliver kept his attention to the lesson plan he was writing.

Lin looked at him. "So is there really someone else who you see fit?"

"Isn't it possible?"

Lin narrowed his eyes. "You and I both know that we are talking about a specific example here – someone you already know."

"You're assuming like my mother."

Lin sighed. "What about Taniyama Mai?"

Oliver stiffened.

Lin looked away. "I thought so," he said. "Why don't you just tell them about her?"

"What for..?"

"You and I know exactly what for."

"No," Oliver said glaring at Lin. "**I **do, but you don't."

Lin looked at him. "Your parents love you, Noll. Hasn't raising you since you were toddlers enough to prove that?"

"If they love me that much, I wouldn't be stuck in this blasted state."

"They only want a good life for you."

"…And for their name," Oliver snapped. He looked away. "Sometimes I wish I didn't let them adopt Gene and me."

"Oliver!" Lin scolded glaring at him. "How could you say such things?"

"Because I can," Oliver said. "If Gene were alive, he would be suffering this fate, right? I'm only happy that he's not bothered by such aggravations anymore."

Lin sighed and closed his eyes. "Martin and Luella want you to live happily and normally. They want you to feel the happiness of having a family of your own. They just don't want you to keep your self from so many beautiful things in this world."

Lin turned to Oliver again. "Just tell them about her," he said. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"They're not you, Lin," Oliver said.

* * *

><p>Oliver sat in the seat beside the glass window. It was a cloudy day as usual and the news report said rain showers would be present in throughout the day.<p>

He looked at the empty seat in front of him and let his mind wander.

What he told Charlotte that moment was lunacy kicking him in the rear. And to think his mother was there to hear it…

Was there anyone else that he believed to be more suitable for him?

Oliver sighed in defeat.

At that particular moment of insanity, he had only one image in his mind – a brown haired girl with round chocolate eyes.

He thought about being tied to her for life and for some reason, he didn't feel bothered by it. He could still see him waking up beside her, feeling her breath against his skin and smelling her early morning scent.

He could still see him living with her - even in that cramped apartment – eating dinner with her, kissing her cheek in the morning before he left for work, and coming home to kiss her again. He could still see him stretching his patience as a bar attendant, a café janitor, a dish washer, a load carrier in the market, and so on… and at the end of the day see her smiling face.

Was that what marriage was?

Gene was the romantic one, not Oliver. Gene appreciated poems and literature. And he always teased Oliver that one day, Oliver would get married and he would realize that his twin wasn't the only person he would want to live with for life.

So if he got married to Charlotte, what would happen? Well, he was sure that he would never want to live with her for life.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose.

He wasn't stupid. He had thought about using Mai to avoid the engagement the moment he saw her again. All he had to do was formally introduce her.

But his parents just had to set standards – very high standards that he was sure Mai would fall absolutely short in reaching it.

It wasn't that fact that stopped him though. He could just be the stubborn son that he was and he was sure that they would eventually heed to his plea.

What stopped him was that fact that his parents would most likely humiliate Mai in front of everyone they know. He knew their relatives. He knew how mean they were to people who didn't reach their standards.

He and Gene had been in that mortifying place. They were orphans whom the Davis couple adopted from the other side of the world. They didn't have the family, the breeding, the education…

So he did his best to excel. He took it all as a challenge. And now, no relative could dare to undermine him, or his brother.

Mai was different though. She was unselfish – his direct opposite – which makes him wonder why he felt so comfortable around her. She wouldn't take it as a challenge. She would instead give way to their happiness. She would choose to leave believing that it would be the best for him.

Just like how she disappeared two years ago.

Oliver winced. His hand clutched the key tightly.

He didn't want to wake up knowing she was nowhere to be found again.

"Naru..?"

Oliver looked up to see Mai's worried eyes.

"What's wrong?" she said in Japanese.

Oliver shook his head. "Sit down."

Mai sat in front of him.

"I already ordered for you," Naru said.

Mai smiled. "Thank you." She knew the conversation about his troubles was over the moment he told her to sit down.

It didn't take long for the waiter to serve them a breakfast meal with a cup of warm tea.

Mai thanked the waiter and turned to Naru. "So what do you have in mind so I can make up for yesterday?"

Naru sipped his tea and looked at her. "Are you free the whole day?"

Mai nodded. "It's my day off."

Naru nodded.

* * *

><p>Madoka walked frantically toward Lin's office – which was just a corner in Oliver's office in the house.<p>

"Lin, have you seen Noll?" Madoka asked.

Lin looked up at Madoka. "He left for a meeting."

Madoka nodded and turned to the table to check the phonebook. "Do you know who he would be meeting with?"

Lin smirked. "He left for a **special** meeting."

Madoka looked up in surprise. "You mean…"

Lin nodded and looked back at the computer screen. "Why are you looking for him?"

Madoka walked toward him. "Luella wants to talk to him. He's been avoiding her and Martin since yesterday."

Lin sighed. "He's still upset. He'll come around."

Madoka slumped in a chair next to Lin. "Do you think we should tell them about her?"

Lin stopped typing. "There's a reason why he's not telling them about her."

Madoka looked at Lin. "I know but he's suffering. And if we don't do something, they will both end up suffering."

"Noll knows that and although he's hasn't admitted to the fact that he's in love with her, I know that he's aware of how much it would pain him to lose her again."

"Then why isn't he doing something?"

"Because he doesn't want to lose her," Lin said. "I may not know a lot about what happened to him and Taniyama-san but I do know some things about her. She is not a girl with good background, though I doubt she has any criminal record."

Madoka looked away sighing. "She's not someone Martin and Luella would approve."

Lin nodded. "He must be thinking that if he introduced her to the family, she would end up being humiliated. And judging by Noll's actions toward the issue right now, I'm guessing this girl is a fragile one. She would runaway from him if it happens."

Madoka leaned her head on Lin's shoulder. "Do you really think Martin and Luella wouldn't understand?"

Lin sighed and looked at Madoka. "I'm not really sure about that now myself," he said. "Noll knows that the best way to deal with this is to go straight to the point. And yet he's not doing it. There must be a significant reason for his action."

Madoka closed her eyes. "I would feel really sad if they didn't end up together. She looks so much better than that Charlotte."

Lin chuckled. "Charlotte isn't exactly a proper lady herself."

Madoka smirked. "You noticed that as well..?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Wow," Mai mumbled as she stood beside Naru in the rooftop of a building.

Naru had basically given her a free tour of London. He also treated her to dinner and snacks several times. Plainly put, the whole day in deed looked much like a date.

"You've been in England for a year now and yet you haven't seen this," Naru said eyeing her from the corner of his eyes.

Mai smiled and nodded. "I wasn't allowed to wonder off a lot. This is actually the first time that I was able to see the place like this."

Naru looked out at the cityscape below as they watched the sun sail down from the sky.

"Is it beautiful?" he asked.

Mai looked at Naru wondering what he asked.

Naru looked at her. "England. Is it as beautiful as you thought it was?"

Mai smiled and looked out at the scenery. "Yes and no," Mai said. "England is a beautiful place, yes but…somehow…I don't see my place in this country."

Naru nodded and looked back at the view.

A few moments of silence passed between them as they watched the sky turn into various shades of red, yellow, orange, and indigo.

Naru took off the key necklace from his neck. He held it in his fingers and handed it to Mai.

Mai stared at the necklace in his hand. But she didn't take it.

"Are you going to take it or not?" Naru said.

Mai raised a brow at him. "But that's your necklace. Why are you giving it to me?"

Naru walked to stand behind her. He gently wore the necklace around Mai's smooth neck.

Mai stiffly stood feeling every touch that Naru's fingers gave her neck send blood up her cheeks.

Naru walked back to his place and looked at how the key necklace fit Mai.

Mai gently held the key in her fingers and smiled. "It's beautiful," she said. Then she felt something that seemed to be engraved on the key. She held the key closer to her and froze.

Her name was on it – engraved in Japanese.

"I went back to attend your graduation ceremony," Naru said looking out at the view.

Mai stared at Naru in shock.

They never discussed anything about the past in that whole day that they spent together.

"I was late," Naru continued.

Mai saw the pain in his eyes. She couldn't understand why he looked so sad.

"Hirouko-san said you already left," he said.

Mai looked away. She remembered that day and winced at the images that came back into her head.

"Did you invite Shibuya-san?" Hirouka-san asked Mai as he stood near the gate.

People were beginning to fill the auditorium.

Mai forced her self to smile at him. "He's too busy to go," she said. "He has an important business to attend to."

Hirouka-san looked sadly at Mai. "A business that is more important than this ceremony for your success in passing high school..?"

Mai chuckled. "Okay, you caught me. I didn't invite him."

Hirouka-san laughed. "You're really a bad liar, Mai-chan. I bet he's just late."

Naru watched Mai's face wince. He knew then that it was also a painful memory for her.

"I went to the house but it was empty," he continued. "Shiro-kun said you went with Kaiba-san. I called everyone I could but no one knew where you went to."

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. She didn't think she would see the day when she would tell someone she knew before about what happened to her.

"Where did you go?" Naru asked watching her.

Mai smiled. "I was really hoping you wouldn't ask."

Naru kept his eyes on her.

Mai looked at him and immediately knew that he wouldn't say anything else unless she answered his question.

"Takumi-kun took me to the training centre," Mai said. "I stayed there for a year to prepare for my job here."

"What did it look like?"

Mai looked away. "It looked like an apartment. We were trained to do house chores and…"

"What kind of apartment?"

"What..?"

"Was it bigger than your apartment?"

Mai froze. "Um…no... It's bigger."

Naru glared at her. "You're a very bad liar, Mai."

Mai frowned at Naru. "It was liveable, okay?"

"How many were you in that…apartment?"

"There were fifteen of us."

Naru felt like punching something. "And you all slept in one bedroom."

"Yes. We're all girls."

"…Filling the bedroom with futons…"

"Yes and..."

"The bedroom was the size of your apartment."

"Yes." Mai then realized what she said and quickly shook her head. "I mean no!"

"Weren't you told that lying was bad?"

"Weren't you?"

Naru stiffened and looked away.

She was right. He lied to her too.

Mai froze. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Naru looked at her, raising a brow.

Mai shyly looked away. "I know you had your reasons."

Naru sighed and shook his head. "You're really an idiot."

Mai stared at Naru in disbelief.

Naru looked at him smirking. "I was the one who lied to you, and yet you're the one apologizing."

Mai glared at him. "Well sorry for caring about how what I said might have offended you!"

Naru stared at her in awe for a moment.

Mai felt her cheeks flush at his gaze.

Naru smirked. "Idiot."

Mai glared at him. "Jerk!"

* * *

><p>"You watched the sunset? Brill!" Florence exclaimed.<p>

Mai sighed and shook her head. That evening, Naru walked her to the mansion where she worked in. She tried her best to keep Naru away from the front gates to avoid further scandal about him but he glared at her coldly until she allowed him to walk her to the back gate.

Florence had been bothering her since she came back about how their date went.

"It was a simple stroll, Florence," Mai said. "Please don't make a big deal out of it."

"Blimey! You dined together, strolled the parks of town, watched the sun set, and he gave you a necklace," Florence said. "That still ain't a date?"

Mai looked away hiding the blush on her face. She honestly did hope that it was a date but it was pragmatically impossible.

She sighed. Pragmatic – what a word.

"Mai, you went out with the dishiest guy in the world! Don't give me the crap about not even dreaming about him!"

Mai looked at her. "He's not in the same world I'm in!"

"Aha!" Florence said, jumping up in excitement. "You do like him then! You're just scared that you're not like him."

"Of course, I'm scared!" Mai defended. "He's...so...far from me. This probably won't happen again."

Florence shook her head, smirking. "You want to bet on it?"

Mai glared at Florence.

* * *

><p>"Elbert Norringbent," Oliver said reading a file he pulled up from their data base.<p>

He glared at the plump sinister face of Elbert Norringbent on his netbook screen. He noticed the Norringbent name on the gate of the mansion where Mai worked in and noticed how it seemed very familiar to him.

"Of course," he mumbled. Elbert Norringbent was a client of theirs a long time ago. He was one of the most notorious suspected criminals in England. News about him killing a number of people under the orders of a powerful mafia group spread in the late 70s. People also said that he was guilty of several rape slay incidents that were recorded at the time.

But he was too powerful and sly to be proven guilty in court. Not enough evidence were found in all the cases that he was supposed to be involved in and yet his face – his smirk that sent chills up anyone's spine – was enough to tell everyone he was behind it all.

He wasn't sent to prison. It was said that Norringbent, being a noble wealthy Englishman, treated the accusations as society's small mistakes against him that he willingly forgave the public for. After that, he moved from one mansion throughout Europe to another.

At one point, he consulted the British Society of Paranormal Research about a queer problem in his mansion. It was a very confidential case. Only Norringbent's lawyer spoke with them about the matter.

Apparently, Norringbent believed that his mansion was haunted by ghosts. At first, his servants thought that Norringbent was being delusional. Doctors of various nationalities examined him – all saying that it had something to do with a psychological state of mind. Simply put, he was in a great state of depression that caused him to hallucinate.

None of the medicines he took made him better. They were already considering the asylum for Norringbent when even the servants began to see things. And later, the so-called hallucinations began attacking almost everyone in the house.

People in the mansion were falling on stairs, getting their legs broken while they sat on a chair, having deep gashes and slash marks on their body while asleep. Often times, they would see floating white figures attacking them – figures that resembled people. And these figures were the same hallucinations that Norringbent had.

Oliver remembered how he and Gene suspected that Norringbent was the one causing them physical harm in his attempt to avoid the asylum. But upon stepping inside the haunted mansion, they realized that it was actually a very severe and rare case of ghost haunting. The mansion was filled with spirits of the dead – most of them seeking revenge on Norringbent. After almost getting killed more than ten times in the course of the investigation, they found out that the problem had something to do with the house itself being some sort of gateway for spirits that was accidentally sealed when the mansion was built.

They were able to exorcise much of the spirits and it was considered as a closed case in the institute's data base. But Oliver, Lin, and Gene knew better. Norringbent himself was still haunted by spirits – spirits of the people that he tortured and killed – those whose cases never had the chance to incriminate him.

They could do nothing for Norringbent.

Fearing the scandal if anyone knew that such known murdered people were haunting him, Norringbent moved to another place and disappeared. They had no news about him until that moment when Oliver saw his name on the gate of the mansion that Mai worked in.

"_Blast it_," Oliver said looking away from the screen. So Kaiba-san got Mai in the country as a maid instead of a prostitute.

...But a maid for a serial rapist and murderer?

He could still recall the visions that he got when he touched Norringbent's hand – the sick violent fettish on which much of his female victims found their demise, and the sinister smile that was etched as their last vision of the living world was horrible.

NO.

He didn't care if Mai had been working for a year under Norringbent and she was still alive and well, or at least she claimed to be. He will not have Mai suffer the same dreadful fate as those women they saw haunting Norringbent's mansion.

He will not lose Mai again.


	12. Chapter 12

Lin sat staring at Oliver in the office.

It was Monday and being Oliver's personal assistant he stayed with Oliver in the faculty office as Oliver typed his lesson plans and checked his students' exam papers.

Lin had noticed something very odd about Oliver ever since that 'appointment' he had, no doubt with Taniyama Mai.

Oliver seemed to act more...human. Well, not really if you compare it to an average human but human enough for Lin. For one, Oliver paused to think several times while he was recording the scores of his students in the paper he had checked.

Oliver was distracted. He was never distracted when it came to work.

Then there were those times when Oliver looked out the window – concern in his eyes. He never did that. He was never one to appreciate the beauty of the world – that was Gene. Oliver was the scientific kind.

And at that moment, Lin noticed something missing in Oliver's overall appearance.

Oliver sighed and glared at Lin. "Aren't you supposed to be glaring all day at your laptop?" he snapped. "Why do you seem interested at staring at me all of a sudden?"

Lin just grunted.

Oliver glowered at him. "Don't tell me you're gay now."

Lin smirked. "You finally gave it to her," he said, ignoring the 'gay' comment.

Oliver froze for a moment before he turned to his papers. "What I do with it is none of your business."

Lin shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the screen of his laptop. "Of course," he said. "And for the record, my laptop's screen is far more interesting to look at than your face."

Oliver glared at Lin and in the process noticed the wallpaper on Lin's laptop. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Lin smirked at Oliver before he opened the application where he did his work on.

* * *

><p>Mai was dusting the shelves when Florence walked in – fear etched on her face.<p>

"What's wrong?" Mai asked.

"Master Norringbent is coming home next week," she said.

Mai looked confused at Florence.

The contract she signed with Takumi was about her working as a maid for a man named Elbert Norringbent. But ever since she came to work in the mansion, she never met him. She instead met a man named Oswald Mortimer – Norringbent's lawyer and assistant. Mortimer acted as their master - living in the mansion, giving them the budget for the expenses, and paying their salaries.

From what she heard, Norringbent rarely visited the mansion and when he did, it was something no one in the mansion dared to talk about.

That week for Norringbent's supposed visit would be his first visit after seven years. According to rumours, Norringbent admitted himself to his very own asylum, and that he visited the mansion only when he was calm enough to get out of the place. They said Norringbent still hoped that he could live a normal life. That's why he came back to the house once in a while.

"Florence," she said almost silently. "What is he like?"

Florence shook her head. "There is no word to describe him," Florence said. "Do me a favour and ask Naru out more frequently starting today."

Mai was about to retort when Florence lifted her hand to stop her from talking.

"Trust me," she said. "You wouldn't want to stay here while he's around. No one does."

Mai stared at Florence. "You think Naru would let me stay with him if I ask him out more?"

"Why not..? That's how Edmund and I got together."

Mai smiled and shook her head. "Trust me. Naru doesn't work that way. Besides, it might not be so bad. It's been a long time since his last visit, right? So maybe it would be better..?"

Florence sighed. "Master Mortimer took me with him to the asylum once to visit Master Norringbent. It was one...bloody...nightmare."

Mai shrugged her shoulders.

She had to admit that there was some part of her that seemed to be greatly bothered by the news about Norringbent. It was like she wanted to get out of the mansion for good.

* * *

><p>"Yes, as soon as possible," Oliver said walking toward the faculty office. He had just finished his last class for the day. "I''ll call you again about it," he said before ending the call and slipping the phone into his pocket.<p>

The days passed too quickly for him. It was the first time in a long time that he realized how crowded his schedule was with work in the university and in the SPR. And he added another task in his to-do list – Elbert Norringbent.

He didn't care about the man after the case. But with him having some sort of connection with Mai at that moment, he couldn't help but feel that something wrong was going on and that if he didn't do something, Mai would be in one heck of a trouble.

"Oliver," he heard someone call.

He was about to turn around when he realized why it was familiar.

Charlotte.

Oliver glared at the direction he was headed to.

Charlotte pranced beside Oliver. "Hello," she said.

Oliver didn't answer.

Charlotte sighed. "She's really that beautiful, huh?" she said. "That much that you wouldn't dare look at me...Would you be tempted to cheat on her, if you look at me?" she teased.

Oliver kept his face straight. "I have no time for nonsense talk," he said. "I have documents to review in the office." And with that he quickened his pace.

"Wait!" Charlotte said running after him. "I'll be going on a short vacation this weekend. My dad let me go to out chateau and stay there for the weekends. I'm supposed to bring a friend with me. And I want it to be you."

"I'm busy this weekend."

Charlotte frowned, still walking quickly beside Oliver. "You're just saying that. Your mother said you don't have any case to work on this weekend."

"I don't always just work on cases in SPR," Oliver said. "I also have a life of my own."

"You'll meet her then? For two days? Isn't that too much? She's not even educated..."

Oliver turned to glare at Charlotte. "What I do with my life is none of your concern. My parents may have told you that I would marry you, but it doesn't mean that I would. If I have to leave you in the altar to prove it, I will."

Charlotte winced and looked away. "What does she have that I don't?"

Oliver smirked. "I knew you were stupid." He then walked away.

Charlotte stood frozen and stunned at Oliver's statement. It was the first time that anyone called her stupid.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank you all so much again for reading and appreciating "Key" _^ v ^ _I hope you continue to enjoy this story in these next chapters. _

_Please feel free to make suggestions on how the story should go. I can't promise that I this story will go the way you want it to, but I'll try my best to put your suggestions in the plot. I'm currently undecided at how this story will end so do tell me any good ideas that you have in mind. _

_CHEERS TO EVERYONE! Please read and review...Ghost Hunt is not mine ^_ v ^

* * *

><p>A loud ringing sound echoed inside the office.<p>

Yasuhara picked the phone up.

"Hell..."

"Who's that..?" Takigawa and Ayako shouted, bursting into the room.

Yasuhara smiled at them. "_I'm sorry_," he said on the phone. "_What's the name again?_" he said writing something on a piece of paper. "_I see...Okay. No problem. You can count on me."_

He then put the phone down.

"Who was that?" Ayako asked in a flashy red dress while leaning on the table.

"Was that Mai?" Takigawa asked beside Ayako.

"No," Yasuhara said fixing his glasses.

Ayako and Takigawa sighed and slumped on the two chairs in Yasuhara's office.

"This is your fault," Ayako told Takigawa. "If you didn't look act like a perverted paedophile in front of Mai, she would have opened up to us and stayed with us when that ass of a man Naru left!"

"My fault..?" Takigawa exclaimed at Ayako. "You were the one being the very stringent mother to her! Heck! She's a teenager. She needs a mother who understands her, not reprimands her all the time."

"And you belittling Naru around was being a good 'father?'" Ayako snapped. "Mai loved him! You shouldn't have expressed how opposed you were about him being her boyfriend! Having glaring competitions with your daughter's boyfriend isn't what a very supportive parent would do!"

"You were having glaring competitions with him too, in case you've forgotten," Takigawa defended, looking away in shame. "Besides, I was right! He left her! Though...I never really thought that he would actually do it..."

Ayako sighed. "If I only transferred that operation to another doctor, Mai would still be here with us – safe and happy. She would be in my apartment living a normal college life."

Takigawa looked at Ayako and smiled. "No. It wasn't your fault," he said. "If I didn't attend that gig, she wouldn't have felt alone in her graduation. I would have been there for her. I would have helped her get over Naru. She wouldn't work her back off to live in some foreign land. She'll be in my apartment studying for her exams."

"Your apartment..?" Ayako asked. "She's going to live with me. I'm going to be her guardian."

"You..? Her guardian..? Is that a joke?" Takigawa asked chuckling. "The only things you can take care of in your old age are your precious fingernails!"

"I am not old!" Ayako exclaimed hitting Takigawa with her Chanel purse.

Yasuhara smiled. "Aw, you'll be great parents to Mai-chan."

"Parents..?" Ayako and Takigawa exclaimed.

"There is no way I'm going to get tied up for life to this old hag," Takigawa said pointing a finger at Ayako.

"And you think I'd marry a perverted old man like you? No way!" Ayako hurled her purse on Takigawa's head again – this time in a deadlier blow. Takigawa ran out of the office, followed by a furious bag-hurling Ayako.

Yasuhara chuckled, hearing the fading cries and yells of the miko and the monk outside his office. "And now, to call Father John Brown," he said picking up the phone on his desk.

* * *

><p>Madoka watched Oliver finish his plate without a word.<p>

It was early in the evening and everyone sat silently for dinner. Martin and Luella had their wondering eyes at Oliver who seemed robotic as usual but somehow...different.

There was anxiety and excitement in his actions.

Lin sat passively as always beside Oliver, not minding how three of the five people in the table had their eyes fixed at the young man beside him.

It was Friday and he already had an idea about why Oliver looked a bit giddy.

The week was hard and he spent most of his time finishing lesson plans, checking papers, assisting with investigations, and overlooking in depth scientific studies. He barely had the chance to get out of his faculty and house office the whole week.

"I'm finished," Oliver said, wiping his lips with the napkin and elegantly standing up as the servants gathered his plate.

"Are you alright, Noll?" Luella asked – obviously worried.

Oliver looked at his mother in an attempt to reassure her but he just couldn't smile at her – that was not 'Oliver Davis.'

"What do you mean?" he asked as passive as he could be at that moment – which, it appeared, was convincingly perfect, as usual.

Luella shyly looked away. "Well it's just that...you finished your dinner pretty quick."

Oliver nodded. "My apologies, mother," he said. "I still have a lot to finish tonight."

"Tomorrow's a weekend," Martin said. "It's your day off. We can handle things in the research centre."

"I understand," Oliver replied. "Thank you but I would like to finish my work tonight before I go to bed."

Luella then remembered something and smiled. "You have something to do this weekend?"

"Yes, mother," Oliver said. "Please excuse me. I wish to get everything done by tomorrow."

Martin was about to speak again when Luella excitedly replied, "It's alright, dear. You're excused."

"Thank you," Oliver said as he turned away from the table and walked toward the stairs while Martin stared confused at Luella.

"Is there something you know that I don't know?" Martin asked.

Luella snickered. "You're a man and you don't know," she mocked.

Lin sighed while Madoka suppressed a gasp. She worriedly looked at Lin.

Lin shook his head and urged her to continue eating.

Martin sighed and nodded. "You do know that he declined Charlotte's invitation."

Luella gasped in shock and stared at her husband. "He what..!" She looked at Lin and Madoka, hoping to tell her that it wasn't true.

Madoka and Lin went on eating.

Luella looked down on her plate in understanding. "Then...what would he do tomorrow?"

Martin looked at Lin.

Lin sensed it and he looked back at Martin. He saw Martin's pleading eyes.

Lin smiled. "Oliver is not only mature enough. He also thinks extremely old for his age. He knows what he's doing."

Martin nodded and continued to eat.

Luella looked at Martin. "Are you sure we can't call the engagement off?"

Martin glared at Luella.

Luella shrugged her shoulders and went on eating. "It was worth a try, right?"

Lin and Madoka snickered while Martin rolled his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver sat on his bed.

He was finished with his chores for the week even before he had dinner with his parents. After all, he worked more efficiently than anyone.

But he didn't want to stay too long with his parents because he was sure somewhere in the usual family talk, Charlotte's name or invitation would come up.

And it almost did. Luckily, his mother didn't overtly mention it or it would have spoiled his mood.

The past week wasn't just about finishing his usual academic and professional work. It also involved running away from Charlotte's attempt to change his mind about not accepting her invitation for the weekend.

Oliver violently shook his head, trying to forget how at one point, Charlotte sat on his office table – showing her smooth thighs at him – and coaxing him to at least spend supper with her for declining the weekend trip.

Oliver looked at his reflection in the mirror.

He still couldn't believe that Mai was involved with Elbert Norringbent. He was bothered that week on how Mai was doing in his house.

Was she treated right?

Was she being fed well?

Was she happy there?

He wanted to go to the house again and check on her but without any valid reason to do so, he couldn't. He was also worried about how Norringbent would react to Mai if he knew that he and Mai had a connection.

Norringbent wasn't exactly happy when Oliver, Gene, and Lin told him that they couldn't exorcise the ghosts that were haunting him.

But what if the bugger attacked Mai that week? What if he sexually assaulted her, harassed her not to tell anyone, or he planned to throw her in some part in England that she didn't know?

Oliver shook his head to erase the image of a pallid lifeless Mai forming inside his head.

It won't happen to her. He won't let it happen to her.

Oliver pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked his phonebook for the name, "Florence." Right after the cab rode away that day with Mai and her friend, Oliver saved the number that Mai called using his mobile phone.

This Florence person was Oliver's only way to contact Mai and make sure that she was alright.

Oliver took a deep breath, pressed the call button, and held the phone against his ear.

"Hello?" Florence greeted cheerfully.

"Is this Florence?" Oliver asked in his usual emotionless tone.

"Yes. Who is..."

"I need to speak with Mai Taniyama."

Florence raised a brow. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Naru. Is Mai Taniyama there?"

"Oh Naru," Florence said recalling the name. "She's not...wait...**you're** Naru? You mean you're Oliver Davis?"

Naru sighed.

He uncharacteristically forgot "Florence's" reaction to him when they met in the market.

"Yes now let me speak to Mai or I will drop this call."

"ABSOLUTELY..! Stay on the bloody line, mate!"

Naru began to hear background noise, including a mumbled squeal that sounded like, "I can't believe I called Oliver Davis 'mate!' And he's on my phone!"

Naru glared at nowhere. He should really give Mai her phone back.

It took a while before he heard someone else taking the phone.

"Hello?"

Naru suppressed a sigh of relief at the sound of the voice.

"Mai," Mai heard from the other line. She knew the voice well. It was Naru.

She felt blood rush up her cheeks.

"Naru, why are you..."

"_Are you free this weekend?_" Naru asked in Japanese.

Mai froze. She felt her heart skip a beat. _"Yes. Why..."_

"_Meet me, same time and place Saturday."_

Mai then heard a beep from the other line.

She stood still, not quite understanding what just happened. It took a moment or two before she slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if it was a being of strange origin.

"What happened?" Florence excitedly asked. "What did he say?"

Mai stared at Florence. "He hung up on me," she said.

"What..?"

"He told me to meet him this weekend and then he hung up on me."

Florence stared awestruck at Mai before squealing giddily like an adolescent girl when thinking about her adolescent crush. "I knew it! I absolutely wickedly knew it! He's bloody into you! He's completely utterly in love with you!"

Mai felt her cheeks warm up. She looked away. "How could you say that? No! He ordered me to meet him. That's all. He probably just forgot something last week or..."

"What on the bloody heck is wrong with you, Mai? He just asked you out! Oliver Davis a.k.a. Naru just asked you out like I said he would! Oh we should have made a bet on this. I would've won huge!"

Mai stiffly smiled and shook her head. "Well, thank you anyway for lending your phone. I'm going to go help out in the kitchen," she said turning to the door of the hall that they were in."

"Wait! Are you going to meet him?"

Mai sighed. "He didn't exactly give me a choice on that so, I guess I will."

Florence chuckled and hugged Mai tight. "I'll make you so beautiful he won't ever fall asleep without you with him on his bed."

Mai flushed and weakly glared at Florence. "Florence! No! How..? NO!"

Florence laughed and shook her head. "Oh come on," she said. "Don't tell me you never dreamed of sleeping in his arms and waking up in the morning with his face close to yours."

Mai looked away and headed to the door, shaking her head.

Of course she missed out those details when she told Florence about how she and Naru exactly shared her very small apartment. Come to think of it, she didn't even tell Florence how small her apartment was.

Mai sighed as she entered the kitchen and began chopping the vegetables to help the cook prepare dinner.

She had to admit that she missed it though – having him peacefully sleeping beside her every night, waking up to the sight of his serene face, feeling his warm arms hold her and make her feel safe...

She missed being with him, even hearing his annoying remarks about her. She missed his glares, she missed his protectiveness...she missed Naru.

Mai began watching the stew cooking on the stove.

He wasn't Naru though...nor was he Kazuya Shibuya.

He was Oliver Davis – **the **Oliver Davis. And they were now so far from each other, just as they were supposed to be.

Mai suddenly thought about what Naru told her. There was no reason for them to see each other anymore – at least that was what she believed.

So why did he ask her to meet him?

Mai stirred the stew.

Maybe there was something the Naru wanted to know about Gene.

Right!

They never spoke about Gene when they met that other weekend. Perhaps he forgot to ask her. And now that he remembered, he asked to meet her so they could talk about him.

Mai nodded, turning the stove off and getting a serving platter.

It wasn't a date. It was just...an interview.

Mai felt a slight pain in her chest at the thought.


	15. Chapter 15

v ^ _Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the last chapters that I uploaded. Also, thank you for giving me your suggestions on how this story should end. It really helped me decide on it. But if you have other suggestions in mind, just keep them coming!_

_Krissy2lip, I love your suggestion for the date! _^ v ^ _Not yet though...Not just **yet**..._

_So please read and review, and Ghost Hunt is not mine. _I LOVE YOU GUYS!

* * *

><p>He stared at the man in a white straight jacket slowly walking into the grey bare room.<p>

The last time that he spoke with the man was a week ago though the last time he saw him was seven months before.

But the impression left in his memory about that last meeting was vivid enough to send chills up his spine.

"Oswald," called the burly brunette man walking slowly toward him – a familiar chilling crooked smile etched on his worn face. The chains connecting the braces on his ankles chimed eerily with every step he made.

"Elbert," Oswald Mortimer greeted back.

There were lots of perks in being the only relative of a man like Elbert Norringbent.

One was having enough money to spoil in law school. Another was having everything that he owned under your name when he dies.

Of course, being a Norringbent nephew also had its disadvantages. Norringbent after all isn't just your average uncle. For one, he wouldn't mind if you decide to squander his money. He would even dare you to do it.

Why?

He owns how many chateaus and villas around Europe? Clue: it's more than you would ever think possible. How much money does he have in his bank account and secret volts? A lot...a lot.

If it was anyone else, they would have bought everything with the money - squandered it to the brim. But Elbert's nephew was dear Oswald - his beloved sister's son.

"Sit down," Elbert said sitting on the nearest chair in front of him.

Oswald took his place in front of him.

"How is your mother?" he asked excitedly.

Oswald smiled sadly at him. "She's well...as usual."

"Good! Very good."

In truth, Oswald's mother died twenty-five years ago. Elbert himself was one of the people who buried her that cloudy afternoon.

But it seemed that every time Elbert saw his nephew, he forgot that she was dead.

And that was the only time that Oswald saw his long lost uncle. After that...

"I am going back," Elbert said with a sly smirk on his face. "Lovely home, I presume."

Oswald sighed. "I am only letting you back in the house because you promised not to do it again."

Elbert scowled. "But I didn't do it again last time. I swear!"

"No, you didn't. You just held her captive in the attic and raped her until she went mad," Oswald said glaring at him. "You have no idea how hard it is to dispose of your trash."

"But I didn't kill her, did I?"

"What I asked was that you stayed away from them. Stay in your room! Was it really that hard to do?"

"But staying there alone...it's lonely, don't you think?" Elbert asked looking at Oswald like a child pleading on his mother's knees.

"Weren't those 'guests' enough to entertain you?" Oswald scolded. "I already dressed them to your taste. But you still preyed on one of the maids!"

Elbert winced and looked away. "I couldn't control it...the urge. I want to, Oswald, I do. But when it comes I just...snap...And it feels so good to snap, Oswald."

Oswald took a deep breath and sighed. "Promise me that you will not leave your room the moment you step into the house this time."

Elbert nodded eagerly. "Yes, I promise! I promise! Just let me go home..."

Oswald nodded and stood up. He walked toward Elbert and hugged him the way he always did with his uncle. Elbert burried his head into the crook of Oswald's neck with the same fervor.

It started not long after the trial against him - the splitting of his personality. At least that was the only time that it became apparent to someone other than Elbert himself.

After Oswald's mother was murdered on a false accusation, Elbert Norringbent - a humble merchant at the time - snapped and went on a rampage to bring her the justice that the society in that period could not give. He made his pain known to the culprits. He raped and tortured their wife and child in front of their eyes before he gave them a most painful end.

He got away with it with the help of someone from a gang. It was there that he began to work as an assassin to support his nephew. He began to enjoy the killings - the feeling of having enough power to take what he wanted. His passion made his work a profession and later, a way of life.

He became famous in the underground, gaining both patrons and enemies. Those brave enough to mock and challege him were killed in brutal accidents that he crafted by hand. He took the dead's properties as his and developed his humble trading company as a front.

Oswald was convinced that Elbert's sanity was severed by the loss of the little sister that he swore to love and protect until his end. After hiding their relationship to protect her from the crooks hunting the Norringbent family, a different set of vile villains destroyed his dream the she grow old with a happy normal life.

But this reason could not justify the murders and crimes that Elbert had done.

About a year after the trial, Elbert exhibited a severe case of insomnia, and paranoia. He claimed that people were following him wherever he went. He tore out sets of furniture in his attempt to annihilate the people hiding inside its covers. He wrecked his own bedroom in trying to kill his pursuers.

They began going from one home to another in an attempt to calm him down. But it just got worse. He began to act like he wasn't Elbert. At one point, he spoke like a child. After a time, he spoke like a cold-blooded killer. In a moment more, he spoke like a man pleading for his life.

His rampage killed many of their servants since he couldn't go out of the house, looking as insane as he was. To make it easier for Oswald to clean up the 'accidents' Elbert made, he hired people who migrated illegally as servants.

Then Elbert's hallucinations began attacking people. That was the time they employed SPR to investigate on the matter. He was informed that the only way to keep him or the things that Elbert saw, who were attacking people, from harming anyone was to isolate him.

He wanted to do it, yes. But Elbert was his uncle - the only family he had. He couldn't let go of him. So he put up an asylum where his uncle could stay. He employed the best psychologists and psychiatrists to cure Elbert.

Elbert's visit to the house was a way to check how he would able to live normally again. So far, all the visits proved that he couldn't and shouldn't go home yet.

"I missed you, uncle."

"I missed you too, Oswald."


	16. Chapter 16

Oliver sat staring at the view outside the glass window of the cafe. It was raining outside as usual.

He had to admit that there were good sides in having Lin in your side.

That morning, Luella tried to ask him about where he was going since he declined Charlotte's invitation. He didn't want to tell them anything about Mai.

Not yet.

What would he tell them about her anyway? That he lived with her in those months that they couldn't find him in Japan? That he slept beside her every night? That she knew Gene for some reason? And that she was the reason behind him finding Gene?

It would cause unnecessary, not to mention negative attention toward Mai.

Mai was an idiot. She was naive. She was innocent. She didn't deserve such hassles in life.

Oliver sighed.

He could still remember what Mai looked like when she fell into a coma. He could still recall what she looked like when she woke up shattered from the nightmare that brought him closer to him.

Those were horrible images that he never wanted to remember. And yet at that moment, knowing her possible connection with an infamous villain, he couldn't help but see her in that similar state of helplessness and pain.

He had to do something. It was a payment for all that she had done for him and for all the pain she went through to help his brother get back home.

It was his responsibility. Though a simple 'thank you' could be enough, he still found saving her from immediate danger the best way to repay her.

He wanted to protect her. He was the only one who could do it.

* * *

><p>Mai couldn't help but feel bothered at Naru's stillness. She had been standing in front of him for a few minutes already, and yet he hasn't acknowledged her presence. His beautiful face seemed engrossed at a very important mental debate.<p>

Was he thinking twice about asking her about Gene?

Was he upset about meeting her?

Was he angry with her?

Mai looked away in shame. She brought him nothing but burdens.

She looked up at Naru to examine him more. She couldn't help but blush at what he looked like in his white turtle neck shirt brown overcoat. He wore a brown plaid newsboy cap to hide most of his head but he looked more stunning with it.

It was then that she realized that the only image of Naru she had in her mind was a handsome man in black – always in black. This was the first time she saw him wearing a different colour…well maybe not if you count that time when she realized that Gene was the one in her dream and not Naru. Naru wore a grey shirt and a pair of jeans that night, right?

Mai had to shake her head to keep herself from blushing.

She looked at Naru again. Maybe it was a bad decision to meet him. But he was the one who told her to meet him! And he seemed to be too bothered by other things to be occupied by his meeting with her – a meeting about his brother.

Mai sighed, looking down at the empty chair in front of Naru.

"That's a chair," she suddenly heard Naru say in Japanese.

She looked up at him in surprise.

"You sit on it," he said in his usual emotionless tone. "I thought idiots at least know what that thing is. I guess you're worse than an idiot."

Mai glared at Naru. "Well I'm not the one staring out at nowhere for who-knows-how-long like some insane man who escaped the mental hospital and didn't know where else to go!"

Naru remained calm and stared at her. "If you call that something that an insane person would do, what do you call standing there for who-knows-how-long when there's obviously a chair beside you that you can sit on? Not to mention staring at me for who-knows-how-long like some stalker."

Mai felt blood creep up her cheeks. She scowled at Naru and looked away. "You're so full of yourself! You think you're so handsome…"

"Aren't I?" Naru asked. "Didn't you say so yourself when we met back in Japan?"

Mai looked in shock at Naru.

He remembered that?

"You are but you're…"

Naru smirked. "Good," he said smirking and leaning back on his chair. "I thought you lost your good taste to your idiocy."

Mai shut her eyes and shook her head. She was indeed a complete idiot.

Naru eyed her as if it was the first time that he had seen her. She had her eyes shut tight so he let a warm smile stretch from his lips.

She wasn't as beautiful as Charlotte but he wouldn't mind waking up every morning to her plain and unadorned face. He wouldn't mind hearing her irritating mouthfuls of chatter and naggings. Heck, he wouldn't even mind waking up seeing her drool on his shirt.

Come to think of it, it happened before – back then when they slept together in one room. It didn't happen often but he didn't mind it at all. He was sure that if it was any other girl, he would have thrown her off from his chest.

Naru looked away to clear his face of the obvious cheer and relief that he was feeling.

Mai was safe…so far. After all, her amber-hued turtleneck overcoat hid most of her body from him. He wondered if there were bruises, scratches, cuts, gashes and scars underneath the overcoat.

…No…probably a shirt and a mini-skirt…

Naru sighed at the thought. Come to think of it, in the last few times he saw Mai in England, she wore a mini-skirt.

For goodness' sake, did she really have no pants to wear? This was London, England after all!

"I already ordered," Naru said.

Mai nodded and sat down, keeping her eyes on her hands that twirled an imaginary thing on her lap.

It didn't take long before a cafe's special breakfast meals were served.

Mai and Naru ate silently – Mai carefully eyeing Naru and waiting for any sign that he would ask her questions about Gene, and Naru eating his food as if he was the only one in the table.

After more than fifteen minutes waiting for Naru to talk, Mai gave up and put all her attention into eating.

"Who do you work for?" Naru asked after a long silence.

Mai looked up at him, wondering if Naru did speak to her. It looked stupid because since Naru spoke in Japanese and they were in England, it was easy enough to know that the sentence was intended for her.

Naru looked at her. "Who's your employer?"

Mai swallowed the slice of steak that she was chewing on before she spoke. "I work for Mr. Elbert Norringbent," she answered. "But he's rarely home so we answer to his assistant, Oswald Mortimer."

Naru didn't show any reaction, though he felt confused about what he should feel at the facts that Mai gave him.

He should be glad that his assumption was right. But he felt more anxious at the thought that what he had been thinking about safety might also be right.

"You knew that before you came here in England?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. She felt more relieved that Naru spoke to her that way, though she knew that he was only doing it to make the atmosphere a bit more comfortable for her to talk about Gene later – calm before the storm.

"I didn't know I would be working for Mr. Norringbent," Mai said. "Mr. Mortimer was the one Takumi-kun spoke to for my employment."

Naru's brows twitched at the sound of "Takumi-kun." The bloody bugger put Mai into the face of danger and she said his name with a '-kun.' Blast it!

Naru sighed and looked at Mai as she drank the glass of orange juice.

She looked so tiny and childish as always. Her hair grew a little longer but in his eyes she looked...the same.

"You're hopeless," he muttered, looking at his food.

"What did you say?" Mai asked, about to eat another slice of steak.

Naru stared at her. He couldn't help but smirk at what she looked like at that moment – mouth open and eyes wide.

Mai stared confused at him, seeing the smirk on his lips.

Naru looked down at his plate and continued to eat, ignoring what Mai asked him.

Mai huffed and continued to eat as well, glaring every moment or so at Naru and his habit of ignoring people – most especially her.

It was then that a question knocked into her thoughts of kicking Naru's legs under the table.

Mai looked uneasily at Naru. "Why..." she hesitated, looking away.

Naru looked up at her – raising his brows.

Mai sighed and faced him again. "Why did you ask me that question...about my employer?"

Naru maintained his perfectly straight face. "I was under the impression that I was making a casual conversation on that question."

Mai froze and stared in shock at him once more. "You were trying to make a casual conversation with me?"

Naru stared back at her one before turning back to his food. "Apparently your brain is too weak to handle such mundane activity," he said.

Mai glared at him. "Could you quit using those jargons on me? Show off…"

Naru eyed him. "Oh right," he said. "You don't know what 'mundane' means do you? I'll explain it for you. 'Mundane' is another word for 'ordinary,' 'commonplace,' 'usual'… "

Mai glared more at him. Her two hands were gripping the utensils – a knife and fork – very tightly. "That's why you told me to come here, isn't it? So you can have someone whom you can kick around and make fun of, unlike those people you work with the university!"

Naru kept his straight face. "If that was why you think I called you here, why did you still come here to meet me?"

"You gave me no choice! You dropped the line before I could say anything about your invitation!"

"As far as I remember, I only told you to meet me. I didn't say 'I order you to meet me.' As far as this scenario goes, you still had a chance to not come here and meet me either way, unless you think you're my slave and you can think of nothing else but obey me. So do you really think of yourself that way?"

"You narcissistic good-for-nothing jerk..! I am not thinking that I am your slave, nor will I ever dream of becoming one! Who would even dare to dream of being enslaved by…"

"Then why did you meet me?"

"…Because I didn't want you to wait here for nothing!"

Naru kept his eyes at Mai, watching her glaring eyes quickly change into wide shocked ones.

Mai quickly looked away upon realizing what she had said. "I…It is…I… It's very rude to leave anyone waiting for you when you won't be there."

Naru looked away, remembering how Mai might have waited for him when he didn't go home to her without a word about why he wasn't there and where he was.

He tried to take his mind away from his memories of that rainy evening, the unconscious and bleeding Mai he saw in the kitchen, and the Mai heavily sedated in the ICU. He forced himself to focus on finishing his food.

Mai looked up at Naru after noticing the blanket of silence that seemed to cover their table. "Naru, I'm…"

"Are you done eating?" Naru asked, looking at her the same emotionless face. But she could see something painful

Mai looked at her plate and noticed his eyes soften as it gazed at her. She wanted to say something but she only found herself nodding to him.

"Let's go," he said standing up and paying the waiter their due.

Mai followed him out, clueless as to where they were going.


	17. Chapter 17

Martin sighed as he slumped back on his office chair.

It was around eleven in the morning and Oliver was nowhere to be found. What bothered him though was the fact that neither Lin nor Madoka had any clue where he was and the couple didn't seem to be worried about it.

Something was going on and Martin was not happy. The only logical explanation he had at that moment was that his son was with someone that Lin and Madoka knew. And for his son to attend to such a person for the whole day of Saturday – at least that was what he heard from Lin when he asked him about how long Oliver would be out – that person must be someone very special to him.

"Taniyama Mai," he breathed. He wanted to be happy for his son. Yes, he did. But he was frightened at the idea that Taniyama may not be good for Oliver. She didn't graduate with a degree. According to what Lin told them about her, she lived in a very cramped apartment – probably a slum area. And if she reached England...well that would be fishy, right?

"Any word on Noll, Martin..?" Luella asked walking into his office with anxiety painted clearly on her face.

Martin looked up at her and sighed. "If you want Lin's take on it, he says Noll is still in the country and will definitely be home for dinner," he said.

Luella smiled, evidently relieved at the news. She sat down on the couch near the fire place. "That's good. I thought he escaped to Japan again," she said chuckling.

Martin grunted and looked away.

Luella raised a brow at her husband. "Martin?"

"I've decided," he said standing straight and picking up the phone on his table.

"What have you decided?" Luella asked looking anxiously at Martin.

"I'll have the engagement published in the newspapers," Martin said browsing the pages of his phonebook.

"Engagement..? Noll's engagement..? But that's not yet final, Martin."

"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be, Luella," Martin said with his eyes fixed at the directory. "Charlotte is a good choice for Noll."

Luella sighed. "But the engagement won't be settled until the end of this year."

"We'll have a rumour about it in the tabloids then," Martin said. "That's what people do nowadays anyway."

Luella looked away. "But don't you think this is too much?"

Martin looked incredulously at Luella. "What do you mean?"

Luella turned to face Martin. "Noll is obviously in love with someone else."

Martin scoffed. "Luella, our son isn't exactly your average lad. He's a genius. For all we know, he's mingling with whoever this woman is just so we will call the engagement off."

"But Martin he..."

"...And even if Noll indeed loves this woman," Martin said cutting Luella and looking straight at her. "How sure are you that this girl indeed cares for Noll? Our son is a good-looking, highly accomplished, and wealthy man. She might just be trying to lure Noll to get her hands on his savings."

"Martin, you heard what Lin said about her," Luella reasoned, glaring at her husband. "The girl vanished when it was time for Noll to come home to us. She didn't give him a chance to think twice about leaving her. Two years later, they meet each other here in an accident. And she still doesn't seem to care or know her hold on Noll."

Martin chuckled. "Luella, are you telling me it's 'fate'?"

Luella stared confused at Martin. "Are you saying it's a coincidence?"

"Goodness, no," Martin said. "There is no such thing as a coincidence."

"What do you call it then?"

"A conspiracy..!"

"What..?"

"Is it not possible for the girl to plan everything? She did all those selfless things in Japan so that when she meets Noll here in England, he will do anything to make it up to her – perhaps give her his home and wealth, and..."

"Martin! How could you think of such a thing?" Luella exclaimed.

"She finished secondary school with nothing but a diploma, didn't even dream of getting to college..."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe I'm right though. And now she's here in England. I'll bet you the exclusive use of the TV remote control, that she got here illegally. I mean, she didn't have enough money to send herself to a university and she got here in London? Preposterous..!"

Luella shook her head. "You said it yourself, Martin," she said. "Noll isn't stupid. He knows what he's doing and he's doing these things because he loves her!"

"If he really loves her, he'll introduce her to us," Martin said. "He wouldn't wait for the engagement to push through."

Luella sighed. "Will you really call the engagement off if he does that?"

Martin looked away. "Luella, you know very well how good Charlotte is for Noll."

Luella shook her head and stood up. "No, Martin," she said. "I don't. Not when I know that our all-knowing son doesn't see how good Charlotte is for him."

And with that, Luella walked out of the office.

Martin sighed and stared at the door Luella walked out off for a few more moments before he looked away.

"I'm doing this for Noll," he said. He then picked up the phone and dialled a number.


	18. Chapter 18

_Once again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Key"_ ^ v ^ _That much reviews in 17 chapters is just overwhelming! I really can't thank all of you enough. As for the suggestions, those were again a really big help in forming this story's ending. _

_Still open for ideas, guys so keep them coming! _^ v ^

_Here are the next chapters for "Key." Please read and review! Ghost Hunt is not mine. _* v *

* * *

><p>Mai couldn't help but look at Naru's hand that was tightly clasped with hers.<p>

That day was similar to the first 'date' they had. Only this time, they visited museums, ate lunch in Alfie's Rooftop restaurant, and ended the day by riding the London Eye.

That was where they were at that moment when Mai looked at their intertwined hands. His hand barely left hers the whole time they spent the hours of the day together. And for some reason, it didn't feel awkward at all.

It was as if they never parted two years ago. It was as if they still spent the nights sleeping beside each other. It was as if they completed that last vacation trip they made by simply going home to their apartment together.

Mai shook her head.

That was wrong. The vacation trip ended perfectly – Naru finding Gene and both of them going back to their home where they belonged.

The intimacy they were sharing was too much. Mai had no place in the life of the great Oliver Davis. The only reason she was meeting him again was because he wanted to ask her about Gene, right?

...Although he never mentioned even Gene's name the whole day...

"Are you scared?" Naru asked, breaking Mai's train of thought. He had noticed her troubled expression when she turned to look away from him.

At first he thought that maybe it had something to do with his hand holding hers. It bothered him too but he couldn't seem to get his hand off of Mai's. It felt safe and reassuring – holding her hand in his. He felt content – more content than he ever did in the past two years of living his life without her.

And since he didn't consider letting go of her hand as an option to stop her from feeling troubled, he thought of a reason for the unreasonable action.

He was about to come up with a perfect alibi for the intimacy when Mai shook her head and looked away.

He thought again. For someone so easy to read, she was difficult to analyze.

Were all women supposed to be like that?

Observing how she gazed at the scenery below them, he figured it was the height that they were in that was bothering her. Perhaps she was scared of heights?

"You're not going to fall down," Naru said in his usual emotionless, but unusually somewhat gentle, tone.

Mai stared at Naru in confusion. He thought that she was scared of the height that they were in?

"No one's ever died in riding the London Eye," Naru continued. "At least there's none that I've heard about."

Mai burst into laughter. Naru raised a brow at her.

She was laughing out loud.

Was she really insane?

Mai calmed down and looked at Naru with a heart-felt smile on her face. "Thank you for the assurance, Naru."

Naru sighed and looked out at the view.

Mai looked at the view as well. "Naru..."

Naru looked at his watch for a moment before looking out in the scenery again.

Mai lost her thought at what Naru did and stared at him for a moment. "Do you need to go somewhere?"

Naru looked at her. "No. I'm just waiting for something."

Mai chuckled. "Please don't tell me that you're waiting for a fireworks display."

"They don't hold firework displays here unless it's a New Year," he answered Mai with a raised brow. "I thought you've spent a year here already. You should know that by now."

Mai scowled and stuck out her tongue.

Naru shook his head. "Childish..."

A ringing sound echoed inside the pod that where they sat in. Mai watched Naru take his mobile phone from his pocket and hold it against his ear.

"You're late," he said in English as he looked at the view below.

Mai watched him curiously.

"You're still late," Naru said after a few moments of listening to the other line. He then looked at Mai and handed her the phone. "It's for you," he told her in Japanese.

Mai stared at the phone and uneasily took it from Naru's grasp. She slowly held the phone against her ear – still staring baffled at Naru.

"Hello..?"

"MAI-CHAN!"

Mai stared shocked at Naru. She knew the voice that screamed her name from the other line.

Naru looked away and smirked.

"Yasuhara..?" Mai shakily asked.

"Aw...you still remember me, Mai-chan..."

"That's Mai-chan! Give me that!" someone shouted from Yasuhara's end. From the baritone voice, Mai was sure that it was Bou-san.

"No! Give it to me!" another one shouted from the other line. Mai chuckled. It was Ayako.

She heard a 'thump,' an 'Ouch! You crazy baa-chan..!' and a 'What did you just call me?'

"Give me the phone, Yasu!" Bou-san yelled.

"No! Give me the phone, Yasuhara if you don't want to get hurt!" Ayako scolded.

"Calm down," Yasuhara said coolly. "Mai and I are still flirting here."

"How dare you flirt with Jou-chan!"

"Yasuhara! Give me the damn phone!"

Mai smiled. It was then that she felt something cold slide down her cheek. She wiped her eyes and noticed how wet they were. Her shoulders were shaking as well.

She suddenly found herself in the warm arms of someone beside her. She shyly looked up and saw Naru looking at her with his usual apathetic face and peculiarly gentle eyes.

"Talk to them," Naru said. "They want to talk to you."

Mai couldn't help but smile at him as her tears began to stream down her cheeks. She burried her face against his chest and slowly gathered the courage to speak.

"Everyone," she gently said making her voice sound even and happy. "Yasuhara, Ayako, Bou-san!"

But her voice squeaked at the '-san.'

"Aw! Look what you two have done. Mai-chan is crying now," Yasuhara said in the other line.

"No, I'm not!"

Naru smirked. He coud hear Ayako and Takigawa panicking in the other line.

"Oh no, Mai-chan, don't cry!" Ayako yelled.

"You're scaring jou-chan more with your yelling, old hag," Takigawa scolded. "Don't worry, Mai-chan, we're not mad at you. It's okay! We missed you!"

"Who are you calling 'old hag'?" Ayako nagged.

The next sound from the other line was proof that someone was once again battered in the group.

Yasuhara chuckled. "Aw, you two are so sweet to each other!"

"Shut up, Yasu!" scolded Ayako and Takigawa.

Mai couldn't help but laugh at what she was hearing.

Naru sighed and looked at the scenery below them. He listened to Mai's stories about her work and stay in England - the minute details that she could only say to Yasuhara, Ayako, and Takigawa.

After a moment or so, Naru felt a tug on his coat.

He looked down to see Mai smiling sweetly at him.

"Thank you."

Naru smirked and looked away, still holding Mai in his arms.


	19. Chapter 19

Mai walked down the hall of the right wing with the bag of trash from the right wing bedrooms. It was early in the morning and she was in charge of cleaning the bedrooms.

She wore a smile on her face, still unable to get over the last date she had with Naru.

After the ride in the London Eye, she and Naru had dinner in a restaurant that served Japanese food. And like the first one, Naru walked her home to the Norringbent mansion.

Mai sighed, feeling the mobile phone that Naru left her that night.

Naru didn't give her any reason why she should keep it. He just said, 'keep it.' Then he walked away from the mansion gate.

Perhaps he didn't want to experience the same trouble that he had when he called her through Florence's phone. After all, Naru didn't really seem fond of receiving much attention especially from women.

She remembered how Naru once turned down Ayako's flirting by saying something about Naru having his reflection eating up all the space in his heart.

Mai sighed.

Naru was just a narcissist, wasn't he? But then again, since he and Gene were identical twins, perhaps the reflection he said wasn't really his own reflection, but...Gene…?

Mai shook her head.

She was over thinking things. She began to wonder where Gene was. Was he happy in the place that he was in at that moment? Did he still remember her?

Mai smiled.

There was no point in thinking about it. What she had to do was move forward and throw the garbage before anyone scolded her for not doing so.

She walked with her eyes fixed at the end of the hall – at the start of the grand staircase toward the ground floor. Right across her was the hall of the left wing. It looked too dim and dark for her liking.

Mai remembered what happened yesterday morning in the mansion.

"As you may have heard from people in the house, Master Norringbent arrived last night," Mortimer said in his usual strict tone, eyeing every servant lined up in front of him.

"He is staying in a room in the left wing and at the moment requests that he is not disturbed under any circumstance," he continued. "For that, I am ordering you never to go into the house's left wing without me telling you personally to do so. Master Norringbent is very sensitive to noise and he is greatly upset of being watched by strangers. I will not hear of anyone going to the left wing to clean, pick up, or leave anything. Most of all, I forbid all of you from staying there just for the heck of it. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Master Mortimer," the servants replied.

"There are people already assigned to attend to Master Norringbent's needs. You are also forbidden to interact with them in anyway. Master Norringbent pays you to attend to his house as he pays the attendants to serve him. Anyone who dares to change that understanding will answer to me."

Mai shivered at the memory. Oswald Mortimer was handsome for a middle-aged man. She always thought that if Naru reached his thirties, he would resemble Mortimer...though of course Naru won't be blonde like Oswald was.

But character wise, Naru was far kinder than Oswald. She suddenly wondered if Naru would grow as stern as Oswald someday.

Mai sighed. That would be very heartbreaking.

"Mai…" she heard a faint voice call from behind her.

She turned around and looked for who it could have been.

No one else was behind her.

Mai sighed.

Perhaps she was daydreaming too much.

Come to think of it, the voice sounded…Weird… It was similar to the sound you make when you try to speak while inhaling air.

Mai shook her head. That was impossible.

"Mai…" the voice called again.

She slowly felt chills creep up her spine.

She swallowed loudly and walked faster toward the end of the hall. She felt her heart's hysterical attempt to break free from her chest with every pump of blood it made.

After a few more steps, she reached the staircase and sighed in relief. For a minute there she thought someone was following her.

She leaned on one of the stair handles in an attempt to steady her frantic breathing.

It was after taking several deep breaths that she sensed someone watching her.

She felt the room suddenly grow cold.

Mai slowly lifted her head up to see who was watching her.

She froze.

A fair young lady in a white nurse uniform stood at the bottom of the staircase. Her dark blue eyes stared lifelessly at Mai's face.

"Oh," Mai sighed in relief. "It's just you. I'm sorry!"

The lady did not move. Instead it kept her eyes on Mai's brown ones.

Mai looked away, remembering what Oswald Mortimer ordered them to do. The lady must be Master Norringbent's nurse.

She quickly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"I'm so happy for Mai," Florence said leaning her head on Edmund's shoulder as they walked, holding each one's hand, in the park.<p>

Edmund chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "It's about time someone took care of her. And to think it's that Davis guy. She's one lucky lot, isn't she!"

Florence smiled. "Maybe, but I'm still the luckiest girl on earth."

Edmund laughed. "Of course! You have the luckiest boy on earth. No doubt on that, love."

Florence giggled.

It was Florence's day off - same as Mai's. And Mai was on her third date with Oliver Davis somewhere in Westminster. Florence wanted to spy on them for fun but Edmund insisted that they have a romantic date of their own.

They were on their way to a an Itallian restaurant when Florence spotted a tabloid in a news stand with a familiar face on the cover.

"Wait, that's Oliver!" Florence exclaimed, pulling Edmund with her to a stop.

"You're right," Edmund said looking at the tabloid's front page. He led Florence closer and picked the tabloid up.

"Davis to marry Science Minister's daughter," Florence read. It was then that she realized what picture of Oliver was on the front page...

...A photo of Oliver talking intimately with Charlotte Weist, the Science Minister's daughter.

Florence froze at the sight.

Wasn't Oliver dating Mai? Why was he talking intimately with this...Charlotte Weist?

Edmund noticed Florence's shocked expression and sighed. "I bet he has a good explanation for this," he said. "This is a tabloid after all. You know they don't always tell the facts in truth."

Florence closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He better do," she muttered. She then turned to the owner of the newspaper stand. "I'll buy this one," she told him.


	20. Chapter 20

Lin and Madoka stared at the set of newspaper and magazines covering the alleged engagement between Oliver Davis and Charlotte Weist, like they were ghouls from beyond the grave that would attack them the minute they took their eyes away from it.

Madoka sighed, breaking the silence that seemed to have swallowed the room for hours. "Are you thinking what I believe I am thinking, Koujo?"

Lin nodded. "This has gone too far."

Madoka looked at Lin. "We have to do something about this."

Lin stood up and walked toward the door.

* * *

><p>Oliver stared vilely at a paparazzi picture of him talking to Charlotte in the university grounds. It was all over the tabloids.<p>

He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

He couldn't believe that his parents could do such a thing. But he could not think of anyone else who could do it.

The Science Minister was still busy in a trip in various universities in Europe. Charlotte was too proud to admit she needed such blackmail to win him, or that she needed her father's aid to persuade him. The other people who knew of the engagement were Lin and Madoka and knowing how they stood in the matter, they were in no way capable or at least in no way will they ever do such a thing. And if they knew about it, they would have done their best to stop it.

It left only his parents.

Oliver stood up from his office chair and walked toward the glass window. He stared at his reflection and sighed.

He remembered how happy Mai was on their third date - when they spent the whole day strolling different parks.

He could still see how childish she looked when she ate the ice cream he bought. It was the first time after in weeks that he saw her smile like that at him. And the effect on him was just...baffling. He felt like nothing separated them for two years.

He saw the reflection of his cluttered desk on the glass window. He saw the netbook that showed the websites and blogs that showed the his picture with Charlotte.

He looked at the window again, trying hard to not see Mai's pained face upon seeing the news articles.

"I'm not ready yet," he mumbled. "It's not yet finished. I need more time."

He then heard his phone ring. He lifted it against his ear without checking who it was.

"Mr. Oliver Davis..?"

"Florence."

"Meet me this weekend at the cafe - same time you meet Mai."

Naru bit his lips from sighing.

Has Mai seen the article?

* * *

><p>Martin sat on his office chair reading investigations files that were submitted that week. It was ten in the morning and people in SPR were busy conducting studies and investigations in various locations.<p>

Martin, as the head of the research centre, was, in a way, hands on in handling investigations. He took charge of reviewing the reports on the cases that the centre handled every day.

Browsing the 34th page of a file about a haunted resort, Martin heard someone knock on the door to his office.

"Professor Davis," called a familiar voice from behind the door.

"Lin," Martin said in acknowledgement. "Come in."

Lin pushed the door open and walked into the office.

Martin smiled at him. "How are the cases you and Madoka are working on?"

"We found a logical reason for the said haunting. We will pass the report later today."

Martin nodded. "You two were always excellent in these things. Sit down, Lin."

Lin sat on one of the chairs in front of Martin's desk.

"How can I help you?" Martin asked placing the file on his desk.

"I know I have no right to meddle with these matters but Professor, I wish to know the truth."

Martin watched Lin in confusion.

"Was it you who put the engagement on the papers?"

Martin sighed and looked away. "I only want what is best for Noll."

"So you admit to putting it on the papers?"

Martin looked at Lin. "Is it wrong to make sure that Noll is happy? I may not be his father by blood but I care about him as my own son."

Lin shook his head. "It is not wrong to care for him as such. However this...particular step you took may not be interpreted well by your son. I am not saying that I know him more than you do. I just...feel that he would not see your aims correctly with the press indirectly putting pressure on him."

Martin sighed. "Noll is not taking the engagement seriously. This is the only way for him to realize that calling it off is not just an easy thing to do."

"With all due respect, Professor, Noll **is** taking the engagement seriously."

"Dating other women is not a sign of taking it seriously, Lin."

"Noll isn't dating women, Professor. He is dating only one."

"You approve of Taniyama, Lin?"


	21. Chapter 21

_Yo! Sorry for the huge delay on the chapter uploads _^ v ^_ Unfortunately I can't give you any excuse for that right now. _

_Anyway, thank you so much again for all the time you spent on both reading and reviewing the last three chapters I've uploaded! I'm still awestruck at the number of reviews that "Key" has right now. I really thought I had a lot of readers and reviews for "Are you happy?" with 92 reviews for 35 story chapters. _

_...But 132 reviews for 20 story chapters..? WICKED! Thank you all so much _^ v ^

_So here are the next chapters for "Key." Please read and review. Ghost hunt is not mine. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"You approve of Taniyama, Lin?" The question rang like an annoying high-pitched bell in Lin's mind.<p>

He bit his lips from sighing.

Of course Lin knew that Martin would ask him that question. But he honestly had no clue what he should say in reply.

"I care less on what decision Noll picks for his life," Lin said. "I do care however about how things are ending up, with this engagement in the hands of the press."

Martin sighed.

"Professor, I understand that you don't want to lose another son," Lin began. "But don't you think you're pushing him away more in what you are doing?"

Martin looked at his clasped hands.

"Noll isn't Gene, you know that. Noll sees himself as an intellectual - a reasonable, scientific and logical thinker. He's idealistic. He believes that romance or romantic love is illogical and hence, it does not exist. This is what is keeping him from opening up to you - he could not open himself up to the idea that loving a female in such a manner is possible for him."

Martin looked at Lin. "You believe Noll is in love with this Taniyama girl?"

Lin's face softened. "I am not in the position to believe anything on that matter," he said. "But I do know that she is important to your son. And I highly doubt that Miss Weist could receive the same, if not more, degree of importance that Noll gives to Taniyama."

Martin sighed. "I don't trust that Taniyama. Don't you find it utterly despicable? She met Noll here in England when she isn't supposed to have enough money to give herself a college degree?"

"Noll didn't actually tell us anything about her, Professor," Lin reasoned. "What we know about her at the moment are inferences that I have made when I went to Japan to get Noll back. Not even the investigator we hired to look for her found enough information about her. Noll could be holding the answers to the questions we have about her. After all, Noll isn't someone who easily trusts anyone. I'm sure he would think about her the same way you do, if he didn't have a logical explanation about how she got here."

Martin nodded. "What do you suggest I do then, Lin?"

"I ask, in Noll's behalf, that you give him time," Lin said. "He is confused about his feelings for Taniyama right now. I'm sure that when he has understood it himself, he will tell us everything. I also beg you to give Taniyama a chance to show us who she is before we judge her."

Martin sighed. "You have seen her, haven't you?"

Lin nodded.

"Is she more beautiful than Charlotte?"

"…In my eyes, Professor...No."

"Does she at least have a good physique?"

"She is very thin for her age, Professor."

Martin shook his head. "Why then is Noll so fond of her?"

Lin smirked. "Believe me. I am still as confused as you in that matter."

Martin looked at Lin. "And yet you don't mind how Noll is dating her."

Lin looked away.

"She is Japanese, correct? I thought you hate Japanese people."

Lin looked at Martin. "I do. But I somehow have this nagging feeling that I shouldn't judge her that much yet."

Martin smiled. "I will give Noll time. And if he wishes to hold a press conference about it, I will allow him to do so."

Lin bowed at Martin. "Thank you. Though, I doubt that he would talk to the press to clear it up. He's a fan of ignoring things, from the media, that are not true."

Martin chuckled. "You are right."

Lin stood up and turned to leave.

"Lin," Martin called.

Lin turned and looked at Martin.

"Your culture also practiced arranged marriages."

"Yes," Lin said. "Arranged marriages were practiced to either preserve or gain honor in a clan. In most cases, it is more to the benefit of the family, than to the benefit of the one to be wed."

Martin looked away. "I just want Noll to have a normal life."

"No life is normal, Professor," Lin said. "A human's life is always different from another's. It is only the happiness and contentment in their lives that make them the same."

Martin smiled at Lin. "Do you think Noll would be happy with Charlotte?"

Lin smiled. "I am not in the position to deduce such matter, Professor. I barely know Ms. Weist, just as I barely know Taniyama."

Martin nodded. "Thank you, Lin."

Lin nodded and walked out of the office.

Martin looked at the busy street outside his window. "Noll is confused. He may just be attached to Taniyama," he muttered. "He's just trying to pay her for her kindness toward him back in Japan. Taniyama will not be Noll's bride."

* * *

><p>Mai dropped the bags of trash into the tin garbage can in front of the mansion's back gate.<p>

She sighed and unconsciously wiped her hand on her forehead.

"Shouldn't you wash your hand first before you do that?" a masculine voice called from behind her.

Mai froze - trying to recall who it could be. It was familiar somehow, and the sentence was said in Japanese.

She slowly turned to see if her guess was right.

A man in a dark green overcoat smiled at her.

Mai gasped and smiled excitedly.

"Takumi-kun!"

* * *

><p>Oliver stared at the glass window of the cafe again. This time though, his gaze was filled with anxiety.<p>

Has Mai read the article?

Did she believe it?

Was she upset about it?

Will he lose her again?

Oliver sighed trying hard not to make his anxiety too noticeable to anyone who spotted him.

"Hello..?"

Oliver turned to face the woman suddenly standing in front of him - Florence.

"I...don't know what to call you," Florence said. "You obviously don't want to be recognized by anyone," she added eyeing the brown newsboy cap that he wore.

"Have a seat," Oliver offered.

Florence sat down on the seat in front of Oliver's. Coffee was already served on the table.

"You're probably wondering why I set up this appointment...and in such a rude way," Florence said. "I apologize for how I acted on the phone by the way."

"I understand that this is of great importance," Oliver said.

Florence took a deep breath and sighed. She then reached into the brown sling bag that hung from her right shoulder.

Oliver watched her pull out a tabloid from the bag. He clenched his fists - trying to keep himself from wincing at the idea that he was right about the reason behind the appointment.

Florence placed the tabloid in front of Oliver - the intimate photograph of him and Charlotte in his full view.

"I wish to have something cleared about this matter," Florence said.

Oliver stared at the tabloid - attempting to stop himself from blowing it up into oblivion.

"Correct me if I thought this wrong," Florence began. "But those past weekends that you met with Mai, I understood it as you, dating her."

Oliver kept his eyes on the paper.

"Am I wrong to believe that you are dating her?"


	22. Chapter 22

"Dating includes two people doing social activities together," Oliver answered.

"So you're dating," Florence said.

Oliver stayed silent.

"Can you then explain that...article to me?" Florence said pointing a finger at the photograph. "I know this is just a tabloid and that it might just be gossip. But there must have been some source for this story and an absolute reason on how you ended up in that photograph."

Oliver sighed and looked at Florence. "Has Mai seen this?"

Florence froze. Mai was right. Oliver's face was an apathetic mask. She couldn't see any concern on his expression.

But his eyes...His eyes betrayed him. Florence saw how frightened Oliver was at the idea of Mai knowing something about the news.

Florence sighed and stared at Oliver.

The first thing she felt when she read the article was fury. She was a Davis fan after all. And realizing that the man she respected so much disrespected women - her 'sister' in the mansion she worked and lived in - was more than offending.

But at that moment, seeing how Oliver seemed to care about losing Mai somehow made her think twice about him.

"Tell me what this is all about," Florence said.

Oliver understood that Florence wouldn't answer his question unless he explained everything. But he didn't like to talk about details in his life to people.

Oliver just stared at her - not wanting to spill anything.

Florence rolled her eyes. "Do you really want to know if she has seen it?" she said, standing up and turning toward the door.

Oliver glared at Florence. He could not believe that he was giving in to her command.

"Mai and I met more than two years ago," he bitterly began. "You probably know that already since you knew who I was when I introduced myself as 'Naru' on the phone."

Florence nodded. She sat back to her chair.

"We got separated for two years after I left Japan and went back here," Oliver continued. "When I reached the age of twenty-one, my parents decided to entertain the idea of involving me in dates with their friends' daughters. It ended with them arranging a marriage between me and Ms. Weist."

Florence felt hurt for Oliver. She didn't think that what she read in books about wealthy people getting bethrothed was still possible.

"And you accepted it? What about Mai? You met her first!"

Oliver sighed, trying hard not to snap at Florence. "I did not accept the engagement," Oliver said. "My parents however are still hopeful about me changing my mind so they advised that Ms. Weist and I should go on dates. I met Mai again, hours before the first dinner I had with Ms. Weist as my future fiancée."

"You didn't accept it but you were forced to date this Weist person," Florence said.

"Yes."

"And when you met Mai again, you dated her - on your own free will, correct?"

Oliver didn't answer. He never actually thought that the social activities he shared with Mai were 'dates.'

"Do your parents know that you're dating Mai?"

Oliver kept himself from sighing. She just had to ask **that**.

"No," Oliver said.

"Why don't they know? If you don't want that engagement, now is the perfect time to tell..."

"I am not using Mai as an escape goat," Oliver said.

Florence froze.

Oliver looked away. "She doesn't deserve to be involved in this mess."

"But she's already involved in it! You're dating her! And this thing here on the paper is making you a look like a philanderer. Oliver, you're cheating on Mai!"

Oliver glared at Florence. "That picture was taken when Ms. Weist invited me to spend the weekend with her in their vacation villa. I spent that weekend with Mai."

Florence stared speechless at Oliver. It was then that she realized what was going on.

She smirked. The great Oliver Davis wasn't so perfect after all.

"So are you planning on just keeping this up - dating Mai without your parents calling off your engagement to another woman?"

"I told you. I did not accept the engagement."

"Does this mean you have a plan to change your situation?"

"Has Mai seen this?"

Florence took a deep breath and sighed. She looked at the view of the street through the glass window.

Oliver stared at her, trying hard not to glare at her for not answering his question for the second time.

"When Mai saw your picture on the newspaper, she called you 'Naru,'" Florence said.

Oliver felt like he was being stabbed somewhere inside his chest.

Mai had seen it.

"I called the picture Oliver Davis," Florence said. She then looked at Oliver. "She didn't know that you were Oliver Davis when you two met, did she?"

Oliver stayed silent - face blank, eyes...grieving.

"She knew you as Shibuya Kazuya," Florence said. "You didn't tell your parents anything about her because she wasn't supposed to know you as Oliver Davis - your parents' son."

Silence overwhelmed the table.

Florence sipped her coffee before she looked up at Oliver. "If you were given the chance to choose who you would spend the rest of your life with between Mai and Charlotte Weist," she began. "Who would you choose?"

Oliver glared at Florence. "I couldn't even spend a 'date' with Ms. Weist," he said - his lips slightly pouting.

Florence sat shocked.

Did he just..?

Florence burst into laughter.

Oliver glared at her more.

It was official - women were irrational and insane people.

"I'm sorry," Florence said when she finally calmed down. "Insulting you was not my intention, I assure you."

Oliver kept his glare at her.

Florence chuckled. "Mai hasn't seen this paper yet," she said.

Oliver's eyes softened.

Florence smiled, noticing the change on his face. "We're not allowed to read newspapers, listen to the radio, or watch on the telly in the mansion," she explained. "And I know it would hurt Mai if she saw it so I didn't show this to her...at least not yet."

Oliver glared at Florence again.

Florence glared back at Oliver, trying hard not to wince at how frightening his glare was at that moment. "I need some assurance here," she said. "I want to make sure that you're not just playing with her. I'm telling you now, she is a wonderful person and she deserves to be with someone who recognizes her as one, and not someone who recognizes her for the wonderful things that she might do for you."

Oliver's face softened. He looked down at the photograph again.

If that was the standard for a person to be worthy of being with Mai, did he meet it?

Florence smiled. "Tell me," she said watching Oliver's eyes look at somewhere beyond the tabloid in front of him. "Just tell me that you won't leave her."

Oliver looked up at Florence.


	23. Chapter 23

"...Leave her?"

Florence nodded.

"Did she tell you what she did when I came back to Japan for her?" Oliver asked - glaring hard at Florence.

Florence laughed.

She had gotten her answer.

"I guess we're done here then," she said, standing up from her seat. "That was nice of you, thank you."

Oliver just watched her. He was about to say something when Florence chuckled again.

"Mai is with another friend of hers right now," she said. "I think his name is 'Takumi.'"

Oliver's face hardened.

Florence noticed it and snickered. "I guess you have some competition now."

Oliver glared at her.

Florence shook her head and turned to leave.

"You work for Elbert Norringbent?" Oliver asked.

Florence stopped and anxiously turned to look at him. "Yes, about that," she said. "Master Norringbent arrived at the house the other night."

Oliver stiffened.

"He's going to stay there for the next three weeks," Florence added.

Oliver looked away and nodded.

Florence knew what that meant. "You have my number," she said. "Just tell me what I can do."

Oliver stared at her for a few moments before he nodded to her.

Florence nodded back and walked out of the cafe.

Oliver looked out at the window.

Somehow he felt like everything in the world was conspiring against him.

"Blast it," he muttered, pulling out the mobile phone from his pocket.

He needed everything to be in place...immediately.

* * *

><p>"How are you?" Takumi asked Mai as they walked along the street to the park.<p>

"I'm okay," Mai cheerily answered.

Takumi scoffed. One year...And she was still Mai...

"How are they treating you?" he asked instead.

"Well...they're not like Kouji-san if that's what you're thinking."

Takumi chuckled. "But they're not like Haruka-san either," he said.

Mai laughed. "We can't have everything, you know."

Takumi nodded.

They walked silently for a while before Takumi spoke again.

"Have you met anyone here that you know?" he asked looking at nowhere. "I mean...someone that you already met back in Japan."

Mai looked away.

Should she tell him that he met Naru there?

Should she tell him that Naru is England's acclaimed Oliver Davis?

Takumi smirked, watching her. "I guess you weren't able to meet the other girls from the training centre."

"Oh!" Mai said realizing what Takumi actually meant. "No, I haven't met them again. Do you know where they are?" she asked, looking innocently at Takumi.

Takumi shrugged his shoulder. "I'll be honest with you," he said. "When a worker flies to his or her employer, we don't have anything to do with them anymore."

Mai stared confused at Takumi. "But...You're here. Are you here to..? Why are you here?"

Takumi smiled at Mai. "Mai-chan," he said. "You're really thick," he joked in English.

Mai glared at Takumi. "I know what 'thick' here means, you know!" she said. "I know I didn't finish with any academic honour in high school, but I don't think that's enough reason for you and Naru to call me an idiot!"

Takumi chuckled. "Idiocy isn't just based on education, you know," he said.

Mai scowled. "So why **are **you here with me, if you're not supposed to care about us anymore?"

Takumi smirked. "You're a special case, Mai-chan," he said. "You've always been one."

Mai raised a brow.

Takumi laughed. "Idiots are always a special case," he said.

Mai glared at him. "You're so mean!"

Takumi just chuckled.

They sat together and ate ice cream in the park. Mai was amazed at how Takumi seemed to have enough money to get to London and bought her some snacks.

"Ne, Takumi-kun," Mai said after licking the drop of strawberry ice cream that slid down the cone.

Takumi bit his lips from smiling at how childish Mai appeared. "Yes?"

"Um...I was just curious...How did you...?" Mai said, unable to phrase the question in an unoffending manner.

Takumi smiled. "Let's just say that I have work to do here, and my employer gave me enough money to get here and stuff you fat."

Mai raised a brow. "Is that employer also the one in the training centre?"

Takumi chuckled. "No," he said. "I left them after you flew here."

Mai's face saddened. "It was me, wasn't it?"

Takumi chuckled. "Don't be silly! They were greedy. They didn't give me what was supposed to be mine."

Mai frowned. "But you got into a fight with them because of me."

Takumi shook his head. "They were already getting on my nerves. That time that they insisted to get you out of the country as a hooker just made me snap. I would've fought them too, even if they didn't insist that you work for another employer."

Mai sighed. "You just don't want me to worry."

Takumi chuckled. "You're very bright with these things, but you're also very thick on other matters."

Mai stuck out her tongue.

Takumi chuckled. "You never really grow up, do you?"

* * *

><p>"Do you have it?" Oliver asked as he held his mobile phone against his ear.<p>

It was late at night and he stood in front of his window. He couldn't seem to fall asleep.

"I have it," a man said from the other line. "I'm going to need time though."

"How much time..?" Oliver asked.

"I'm not yet sure," the person in the other line said. "I'll tell you by tomorrow."

"Do it as fast as possible," Oliver ordered.

"I understand."

A short beep ended the call.

Oliver stared at his reflection on the glass window – an ebony-haired young man in a pair of striped pajamas looking anxiously at him.

Oliver sighed. "I want her out of there too," he told his reflection.

* * *

><p>Mai walked down the street.<p>

It was late at night and the air was chilly. She tightened her hold on the yellow wool scarf around her neck.

She didn't mean to stay outside that long. She just needed the overtime pay for a school project.

She was a self-supporting sixteen-year-old. At least that was her aim. She didn't want to be a burden to her parents who were already attending to her three younger brothers.

Mai smiled to herself as she walked the brightly lit alley.

If she was lucky, she would still have enough extra money to buy the triplets a birthday gift by next week. They had always adored those toy race cars made of tin.

The heels of her pink winter boots tapped noisily on the brick pavement. No one else was around as usual. People didn't like walking in the alley at that time despite the glaring street lights brightening its gloomy path.

Mai kept her eyes on the path in front of her. She could clearly see their gate. She smiled and trotted toward the gate.

"Excuse me," a deep voice echoed in the alley.

Mai gasped in surprise and turned around. "Oh! It's you," she sighed in relief, seeing their new neighbor, Matthew Longbent behind her. "You gave me a fright!" she said chuckling.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, his eyes disappearing into a smile. He was fairly tall for his age of twenty-two. His built made him look huge in Mai's point of view. "Lyra, is it?"

"Yes," Mai found herself saying. "You're Matthew. You're one of Mr. Remington's lodgers."

"Yes, that's me," Matthew replied. "What are you doing here in this hour?"

"Oh I came from work," Mai said.

"Oh you work now, huh?"

"Yup!" Mai said. "Well, our house is just a few steps away so I'll see you next time, then." Mai began to run toward the gate. She felt intensely frightened of him for some reason.

She was about to open the gate when she felt a strong hand cover her mouth. It was followed by a deadly grip around her waist.

"Why the hurry?" she heard Matthew breathe against her ear. "I don't think they're looking for you yet."

Mai tried to scream and kick her way off of Matthew but he was too big and strong.

"I thought you like me," he said placing kisses down her neck. "Aren't I handsome?"

Mai screamed but no sound came out. The next thing she knew she was being dragged from the gate she longed to reach.

She heard a low chilling chuckle echo close to her ear.

Mai gasped and quickly shot up from her bed. Sweat slid down her forehead despite the freezing air of the rainy night.

She felt evert painful blow that her heart made against her breast bone with every beat. Every breath she took didnt seem enough for her to live.

Mai felt tears roll down her cheeks as chills began to creep through her body.

"Lyra..." she mumbled weakly. She embraced herself, feeling the temperature in the room drop.

"Get out of this house," she heard a very familiar voice say.

Mai froze.

Was it just her imagination?

She slowly looked up, feeling someone standing in front of her - watching her.

Mai froze.

"Mai..."


	24. Chapter 24

Lin walked toward Oliver's office in the Davis house.

Ever since the Davis couple realized how passionate the twins were in helping out with the British SPR, they renovated two extra bedrooms to be the twins' office. Since the two were too young to have their own space in the SPR headquarters at the time, the twins used their own offices at home for their part time work.

Gene's office – which was right across Oliver's office – later became his personal library for paranormal psychology resources focusing on being a medium and interacting with spirits, since he wasn't that serious on working in his office. He opened his library to everyone in the house, most especially to Oliver.

It took them a year and half to open Gene's office to everyone again. Even Oliver couldn't dare to look at its locked door for more than a year.

Lin saw Gene's office right across Oliver's closed one. Gene's office was wide open, just as how Gene always wanted it to be.

He knew Oliver made it look that way. After all, he was the only one in the house who kept the keys to Gene's rooms.

Lin took a peak at Gene's office before turning to Oliver's locked door.

The only furniture that informed anyone that Gene's office was an office, was a desk at the very back of the room. The other groups of furniture – the comfortable sofa set and lounge chair surrounded by shelves of books that served like the room's walls – suggested that it was a reading room.

Lin sighed and turned to Oliver's door and raised his hand to knock on the wood. But before he let his knuckle hit the door, he heard something from beyond it.

"…care how much," Oliver's muffled voice echoed from the room. "When can you give it to me?"

…A short pause…

"That's the soonest..?" Oliver said. "In that case, I'll need something more…Yes. How long..? That's good."

Lin rarely cared who Noll spoke with but at that moment, he felt both bothered and puzzled at the conversation.

Lin then heard a click on the door. He stepped back in surprise and watched the door open.

Oliver stood there – staring at Lin. "You're supposed to knock on the door, when it's locked," Oliver said.

Lin looked away and nodded. "My apologies," he said. "I thought you were speaking with someone. I didn't want to bother you."

Oliver walked to his desk. Lin followed him.

"What do you need?"

Lin looked at him and took out a white envelope from his pocket. He handed it to Oliver. "I got this from Madoka. Luella asked me to remind you about this."

Oliver took the envelope and pulled out the card inside it.

He sighed at the sight of the stylish script on the card.

It was an invitation for a banquet that would launch the annual paranormal psychology convention that was supposed to be held in the next three weeks.

"On Luella's request, Charlotte Weist was given a similar invitation," Lin said.

Oliver stared at Lin. "I will not be her escort, if that is what you wish to tell me."

Lin sighed. "Don't worry. Your parents have agreed to give you two some space so as to suppress the gossips published by the press, until the engagement reaches finality."

Oliver nodded and sat down on his office chair.

The banquet was on a Saturday night. And knowing Madoka and his mother's obsession with preparing events to perfection, he would be forced to give them a hand.

Oliver looked at the window and sighed.

He won't be able to see Mai...again.

* * *

><p>Mai walked into the kitchen. It was early in the morning and she was still rattled by her dream the night before.<p>

She placed a kettle of water on the stove, and waited for it to boil.

Mai sighed, remembering the odd dream that she had. The last thing that she recalled was staring at a young man who was suddenly standing in front of her bed.

She could still clearly remember what happened as if it wasn't a dream.

"Leave this place," Oliver…no...Gene said.

"How..? Why..?"

"You're not safe here," Gene said, slightly glaring at her. "You have to get away from here."

"But I work here!"

"You're going to end up dead if you don't leave!"

"Where will I go?"

"…Anywhere!"

Mai scowled.

Gene sighed. His eyes softened. "Mai, this place is not good for you."

"This is the only place I can live in!"

Gene smirked. "You know that's not true."

Mai felt her cheeks burn. She looked away, trying hard not to reveal what flashed into her mind. "I don't have enough money to go back to Japan," she said. "I don't even have enough money to live in an apartment here."

Gene shook his head. "That is not what you and I were thinking, Mai."

Mai glared at Gene. "How could you think of something like that? You're his brother!"

Gene smiled. "Exactly," Gene said. "I'm his brother."

Mai huffed and looked away.

"But seriously," Gene said. "You need to get away from here."

Mai looked up at him. "Gene..."

...But everything fell into darkness.

The next thing Mai remembered was waking up that morning and craving for a steamy cup of tea.

Mai stared at the flames of the stove heating the bottom of the stainless kettle.

Did she really see Gene that night? Or did she just imagine him?

Who were Lyra and Matthew? Did she just imagine them too?

Mai took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her suddenly shivering body.

Her dream felt so real. It was as if she did meet Matthew one night, and he did something horrible to her.

She felt chills run up her spine upon recalling Matthew's smiling face.

It was then that she realized how cold the kitchen felt. She noticed the flame of the stove shiver and eventually fade.

Mai quickly tried to turn the stove on again.

The stove clicked several times. It lit up small flames but it all died, the way the flame on a candle dies when the wind plays with it.

Mai gave out an exasperated sigh, unconsciously blowing a puff of smoke in the air. She looked at the windows to check why the room was cold.

She froze.

The windows were shut.

Mai suddenly felt someone staring at her back. She slowly realized that someone seemed to be standing behind her.

Mai felt every hair on her exposed skin stand.

"Florence," she said, hoping that it was Florence. "Is that you?"

…Silence…

Mai felt the kitchen grow colder. She couldn't stop her jaw from shaking.

"…Mai…"

Mai swallowed loudly. It sounded familiar, but it didn't make her feel relieved.

It wasn't Gene's voice. Nor was it Florence's…


	25. Chapter 25

_Thank you all again for reading and reviewing the chapters ^_ v ^ _I forgot to type in this note when I uploaded Chapter 24. Sorry ^ _^_

_Anyway, here are more chapters for Key. Enjoy! (And please read and review * _v _^)_

_Ghost Hunt is not mine._

* * *

><p>"…Mai…"<p>

It sounded like that voice she heard in the hallway upstairs that morning she met the nurse…the odd and eerie high-pitched voice…

"…Mai…"

She felt something touch her neck…ice-cold...air…

Mai found herself staring at her reflection on the nearest window.

She wasn't alone.

Behind her was a pale woman. She didn't seem to be part of the household servants.

...Her wet dark brown hair was tousled over her face…Her face was so close to Mai's neck...

Mai suddenly felt something cold grab her arms tightly from behind.

Mai's eyes widened. She was suddenly seeing images of a naked girl tied up on a bed and later hurled against a bloody concrete wall...hearing deafening high-pitched screams of fear and agony…remembering a bloodcurdling series of sadistic chuckles...

"...Mai..."

...And indeed the call sounded louder against her left ear.

"Mai!" Florence called, crossing entrance to the kitchen and noticing a frozen Mai in front of the stove. "There you are! I was wondering where you were."

The stove lit up. The room's temperature felt warmer.

The grip on Mai's arms vanished.

Florence noticed Mai's shoulders as they began to shake.

"Mai..?" she asked walking toward Mai.

"Florence," Mai mumbled, turning to look at her friend with tears running down her pale face.

Florence stared at her in shock. "Mai! What happened?"

Mai felt her knees shake. She felt so weak…too weak to keep her body upright.

Florence immediately held Mai as she knelt down on the cold kitchen floor crying. "What happened? Mai," she asked, holding her tight against her. She noticed how cold Mai was.

Mai's only response were speechless sobs. Mai also didn't know what happened.

All she knew was that she couldn't keep herself from crying. She couldn't remember all the images that she saw. All she knew was that they were all too scary to recall.

It was only after Mai calmed down that Florence saw the odd marks on Mai's arms – smudged hand prints. It was as if someone tightly gripped Mai's arms with his blood-stained hands.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry you had to do this, Brown-san," Yasuhara said carrying a luggage with John's name on it.<p>

"Oh no," John said smiling warmly at him. He held a thick brown envelope in his hand. "It's an honour to help Shibuya-san. I am also grateful for your help in carrying my luggage. Are you sure it's not much of a trouble? I know that's quite heavy, Yasuhara-san."

Yasuhara chuckled. "No trouble at all," he said. "I was born a very strong man."

John laughed.

It was early in the morning and Yasuhara accompanied John to the airport.

"…So you always get invited to these conferences?" Yasuhara asked.

"This is actually my first time," John said. "I was invited this year to share my experience as a Catholic priest performing exorcisms here in Japan."

Yasuhara nodded. "I'm guessing that this is a form or memorial for Gene Davis."

John's smile showed a hint of sadness. "Yes," he said. "It was a very interesting study."

"I'm sure he's happy now, wherever he is," Yasuhara said. "If I can recall correctly, all the different beliefs religions had one thing in common about death."

John smiled and nodded at Yasuhara. "Death is only the beginning of a new life."

They soon reached the boarding area.

"You really won't attend the conference, Yasuhara-san?" John asked, taking his luggage from Yasuhara.

Yasuhara shrugged his shoulders. "I still have a lot to do here. Enjoy your trip to London!"

"I will, thank you," John said. "And don't worry. I'll give your package and your regards to Dr. Davis!"

John then walked with his luggage to the line where the passengers of the boarding plane were welcomed.

Yasuhara decided to stick around until John was already inside the plane. He was about to head back from the boarding area when he noticed someone familiar in the passengers who were supposed to board the same airplane as John.

"Ah, Hara-san is also invited to the British SPR conference," Yasuhara said.

* * *

><p>Oliver sighed as he walked into the office with a box filled with notebooks and pens.<p>

He remembered how Madoka ordered him that morning to pick the box up from the SPR office. She had been planning to give the notebooks and pens to the seminar attendees of the conference.

Oliver placed the box on a table in the house's library room. He noticed how Madoka anxiously sorted various posters and banners for the conference.

"We hold this every year, Madoka," he said.

Madoka looked up at Oliver.

"Can't we just do this the way we usually do it?" he continued. "This is an academic conference, not a children's party."

Madoka glared at Oliver. "This is a different year, and much of our guests are new," she said. "They all deserve to have a great experience in this conference."

"…By using party decorations for the conference?"

"These are not party decorations!" Madoka defended. "These banners are already in black!"

Lin walked in with his netbook. He had been hearing Madoka and Oliver's voices from the hallway outside. "I think what Noll is trying to say is that this might be too much for a formal conference."

Madoka glared at Lin.

Lin sighed and sat down beside her, opening his netbook in the process.

"Luella approves," Madoka defensively said.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "…Women…" he muttered.

Lin coughed, trying hard not to burst into chuckles.

Oliver turned to walk out of the library.

"Wait!" Madoka called. "Where are you going?"

Oliver stopped and looked at Madoka. "You've been keeping me busy assisting you in doing these preparations since yesterday."

"That's because we need help!" she answered.

Oliver glared at Madoka. "You never needed help from me or from Gene in the past conferences, and those conferences ended successfully. Why do you need my help now?"

Madoka glared back at Oliver. "Helping people out is…"

"What exactly did my parents ask you to do with me?" Oliver asked.

Lin and Madoka froze.


	26. Chapter 26

Oliver kept his glare at the couple.

Madoka sighed. "Professor Davis wanted you to be involved in the preparations for the conference," she said. "He said you need to know what to do so you won't have any difficulties when you hold the conference next year as the new Head of SPR."

Oliver's eyes widened.

Lin eyed Noll carefully.

"He thinks I'll marry Charlotte by next year," Oliver muttered, turning away and walking out of the room.

"…Noll!"

Lin held Madoka's arm to stop her from going after Oliver.

Madoka looked at Lin. "I don't understand," she said. "I didn't say anything about…"

"The only time that Professor Davis will give his position to Noll is when Noll gets married," Lin said looking at his netbook screen.

Madoka froze.

"Professor Davis told Gene and Noll about that a long time ago," Lin explained. "Gene didn't want to take over SPR so he asked the professor to give it to Noll instead. Noll didn't want it either. He was very young then and he hated the idea of getting married. In an attempt to escape from being the professor's heir, Noll told the professor that he will only accept the position once he is already married."

Madoka gasped.

"You know the Professor barely forgets a promise," Lin said turning back to his netbook.

"Is it...Could it…No…But Lin, you..!"

"I asked him to give Noll time," Lin said. "...Knowing that it is the only thing that I can ask from him in his firm disposition about the engagement."

"But you know Taniyama-san!"

Lin looked at Madoka. "No, Madoka. I don't," Lin said. "And I don't know if Noll loves her. I only know that Noll is looking at the engagement as an inconvenience, and that he sees Taniyama-san as a very important person. I'm afraid the only person who can tell the professor that Noll shouldn't marry Charlotte because he is in love with Taniyama-san, is Noll himself."

Madoka gave an exasperated sigh as she sat back beside Lin. "But Noll is too thick to realize that he's in love with her!"

Lin turned back to his netbook. "That's why I asked him to give Noll more time to think about it," he said, tapping the keys on his netbook keyboard.

Madoka sadly looked away.

"Madoka," Lin called with his eyes fixed on the netbook screen. "Do you think this building space would be enough to be an SPR office?

Madoka looked at the screen. "…In Shibuya?"

* * *

><p>"...And you don't know what happened to you after that Matthew person dragged you?" Florence asked – hugging the sobbing Mai in an attempt to comfort her.<p>

After washing Mai's arms to get the dried reddish brown hand stains, Florence took Mai to their room. She gave her a cup of tea and asked her what happened.

Mai didn't know what to tell her and how to tell her what she wanted to know. So she decided to tell her about her dream – except the part of it that involved Gene, and then what happened in the kitchen based on what she clearly remembered.

Mai nodded in response to Florence's question. "But I felt so scared and...I felt like something really bad happened to me after he dragged me," she said trying to recall the dream.

Florence looked away. "I think this person in the dream who you acted as – Lyra – has something to do with what happened to you this morning," she said.

Mai looked up at Florence. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not really an expert on this but I think it's possible that this Lyra is trying to tell you something using your dream," Florence said looking at her. "I've read a lot of books about that – ghosts communicating to people..."

"But why me..?" Mai asked.

Florence shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps you're psychic," she said. "Is this your first time to talk to dream like that? ...Or see ghosts?"

Mai looked away. She didn't want to tell her about Gene. She wasn't sure if Naru would like it. But did her experience with Gene really mean that she was a psychic?

"This is the first time," Mai said. After all, Gene said that the only reason why he spoke to her was because he couldn't reach Naru. And since she was near him...Gene communicated with Mai..?

Florence sighed. "So we need to know why you're seeing a ghost now," she said. "Are you sure you and Takumi just went to the park last weekend?"

Mai looked back at Florence. "Absolutely," she said. "We just ate ice cream in the park, talked about things, and then went home."

Florence nodded. "He didn't give you anything? Perhaps a gift..?"

Mai shook her head.

Florence sighed. "Well, there's always Option B."

"...Option B..?"

Florence looked at Mai. "We can call Naru and tell him about this."

Mai gasped in shock. "No! No, we can't!" she immediately said, shaking her head. "Please don't tell him."

"But he's a paranormal investigator, Mai," Florence said. "If there's anyone here who can help us, it's him."

Mai shook her head. "Please don't tell him anything about this."

"Why..?"

Mai sighed and looked away. "He's already got a lot in his hands."

Florence froze.

Did Mai already know something about the engagement?

Mai held the gold key dangling from her necklace. "You said it yourself. He's a paranormal investigator. I'm sure he already has a case that he's busy solving."

Florence sighed in relief. Mai still knew nothing about the engangement. "You have a point," she said. "But still..."

Mai smiled. "Let's forget about this. Maybe I was just dreaming about it."

Florence frowned at Mai. "You have hand marks on your arms," she said. "They were covered with a red liquid that looked like blood. We don't keep fresh blood in the kitchen. And the hand marks were too small to be made by your hands."

Mai sighed. "Still...Let's not talk about it."

"Fine, but when Naru sees those hand-shaped bruises on your arms, I'm going to tell him."

Mai chuckled and nodded. "Thank you. Hey, Florence..?"

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Master Norringbent's nurse?"

Florence raised a brow at Mai. "His nurse..? Why?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I saw here last week," she said. "I was about to go down the stairs with the trash when I saw her there on the stairs. She looks really creepy. I guess that's why Master Mortimer told us not to talk to them."

"You...spoke to a nurse?"

Mai felt her cheeks burn in shame. "I didn't actually mean to," she said. "I was freaked out in the hallway. I thought I heard someone calling my name when I was the only one there in the hallway. And I also thought that I was being followed. So I ran down the hall and I was shocked to see her. I spoke to her on...reflex..?"

Florence just stared confused at her. "...You saw...his nurse..?"

"I mean, I just told her, 'oh it's you.' That's it," Mai anxiously explained.


	27. Chapter 27

"And...Did she say anything?" Florence asked.

"No," Mai said. "She just stared at me. That was what I think was creepy. Though I guess she was just in a bad mood."

Florence thought for a moment. "Um...What did she look like exactly?"

"She has long brown hair," Mai said. "She's very pretty, and I think she's younger than me. I think she's British."

Florence nodded. "Not to scare you or anything, Mai," she began. "Pietro and Jameson – they were the ones who brought Master Norringbent home – said that they didn't bring any nurse or doctor with them here."

Mai stared confused at Florence.

"And Roland, our security," Florence continued. "He said that they haven't met any nurse or doctor who is supposed to take care of Master Norringbent. They also said that they weren't ordered to let any doctor or nurse in the mansion."

"But Master Mortimer..."

"Master Mortimer always tells us to do that but from what I know, he doesn't employ any nurse or doctor to attend to Master Norringbent," Florence said. "But you're right. Maybe he just had a nurse employed, you know? Maybe she just arrived. That's why she was very cranky with you."

Mai nodded slowly, trying to understand everything. Something was definitely wrong.

Florence noticed it. "I'll check with Roland about the nurse," she said, trying to get Mai away from what she herself was thinking about the 'nurse.' "Anyway, if you see her again, don't tell her anything. If you can look away from her, do it. Okay?"

Mai nodded. "Thank you, Florence."

Florence smiled and hugged Mai. "...Anything for my baby sister," she said.

Mai chuckled.

* * *

><p>Elbert sat steadily on his rocking chair – swaying to and fro like the pendulum of the grandfather clock in his vast bedroom.<p>

He had been there for quite a long time. He hasn't freed his arms from the long sleeves of his cream straight jacket. Nor has he freed his feet from the chains that held him from walking toward the door.

He listened to the ticking sound of the clock the way he always did when he was left with no one but himself...and them.

Elbert stared at the slightly open window.

It was early in the morning and he could see the birds flying outside. Perhaps they were singing outside too.

But the only sounds he heard in his place were the creaking of the moving chair against his weight, the ticking sound of the clock...and them.

Elbert sighed hearing the eerie gasp he had been hearing since...since when again..?

"I can't remember," Elbert muttered.

He felt chills run up his spine. The room was getting colder...colder than it already was – just like his room back in the asylum.

"...Mai..." he heard the eerie voice whisper in the air.

"Nice name," Elbert said. "Too bad I'm locked in here. And no one is allowed to get in here, except Oswald."

A strong gust of wind hit his face. He winced, hearing a deafening scream echo in the room.

Elbert sighed. "I promised Oswald."

...Another deafening howl...

Elbert glared at nowhere. "Of course I want to do it! You have no idea how much I missed doing it," he sneered.

"...Mai..." the chilling voice whispered again.

"What's supposed to be so special about her?" Elbert asked. "Her name doesn't sound like a Brit's name. Asian..?"

"...Mai..."

Elbert chuckled. "You know I don't just do this with any woman."

A deafening scream echoed around the room. Shadows emerged from every sill and corner of Elbert's quarters.

The shadows slowly merged to fill the room with darkness.

Elbert could barely see what was beyond the window. In fact, he eventually stopped seeing everything that was supposed to be in his room.

He was, at that moment, just floating in darkness.

"Oh," a sweet slightly high-pitched voice echoed in the void. "It's just you. I'm sorry!"

Elbert smirked. "Pretty voice," he said. "…Tempting… I wonder how she'll scream for me."

"...Mai..." the chilling voice screamed.

Elbert noticed white floating orbs flying frantically around him. They zoomed like jets drawing lines across the sky.

He kept his eyes on the place where the window should be.

The white lights that seemed like fine white lines began to converge in front of him – making a small white ball.

Elbert watched the white ball of light, ignoring the deafening screams that he was hearing in the dark. He kept his eyes on the white light and waited to see what he wanted to see.

Elbert smiled, seeing a brown hue appear on the blinding white light. It was like dropping a brown liquid on a body of clear water.

He saw other colors emerging from the plain white light– smudges of hues that slowly formed what seemed to be round brown eyes…brown hair…

Elbert chuckled. He saw a face.

"...Mai..." the voices echoed and shrieked around him.

"Mai," Elbert sighed. "Not exceptionally beautiful, but innocent."

Swarms of deafening screams and shrieks bounced from every corner of the dark void.

"I like her," Elbert said. "How are you planning to get her for me, Lyra?"

* * *

><p>Oliver stared at his reflection in the mirror. His books were scattered around the bedroom floor.<p>

When he locked himself in his room, his books were levitating.

He had to control his anger.

"I'm trying to deal with this as mature as I possibly can," Oliver muttered toward his reflection.

His reflection did not say anything in reply.

Oliver closed his eyes.

"She needs you," he heard his voice echo from the mirror.

"I know," Oliver answered, opening his eyes and looking up at his reflection. "I..." Oliver winced. "I..."

His reflection smiled. "You need her too," his reflection said. He then glared coldly at Oliver. "Don't say anything to deny that."

Oliver scowled at his reflection.

After a short staring competition, Oliver sighed. "I won't be there," he said.

"I will be," his reflection replied.

Oliver nodded.

* * *

><p>Mai ran through the dark forest.<p>

She could feel something burning in her limbs – probably a deep cut on both wrists, bruising on both ankles, gashes on her elbow and legs, thin lesions on her exposed thigh...

Oh wait...a stinging pain between her legs.

It somewhat made her remember something...someone moving on top of her...

Mai shook her head trying to erase the blurry image that she seemed to hate for some unknown reason.

She could hear her heaving breath with every wide step she took. She felt every stone, branch, and tree root that pierced her foot with her hasty strides. She winced at every scratch that the branches gave her limbs and face.

There was no time. She had to ignore the fear that the dark cold evening triggered.

He was out. And she was able to get out of his hell.

This was the only chance she could use to finally go home and wake up from the never-ending nightmare.

Mai kept her eyes on the direction that she was headed to.

...Straight. Just keep running straight ahead...as far as possible from the tormenting hole of the demon.

Mai was feeling tired but she knew she couldn't stop – not at that moment. She was still close...too close.

But it didn't take long for her to spot what she longed to see – a road.

Mai gasped in excitement. She quickened her pace.

...The road to freedom was near...so near...

After a long while, her bare and bleeding feet touched the concrete road. Tears streamed down her sore cheeks.

...All she had to do was follow the road away from the hell hole.

Mai stealthily ran beside the road – amidst the bushes of the forest. She couldn't just hitch for a ride. She already saw it in the movies.

The lead character was on the road. She hitched a ride at an approaching vehicle. The driver of the vehicle turned out to be the villain.

Mai had to be careful. She had to get home. Her parents must have been worried already.

She saw several cars passing by.

She couldn't find the courage to stop one of them and ask them for help. What if he was there in that car?

Mai kept on running until she found herself going down the hill.

She was getting away from the hell hole!

Mai kept on running in the dark. She carefully looked around for anyone or anything that could have been following her.

She soon felt her adrenaline drop. Fatigue was finally eating her up.

Mai tried to keep herself from falling. There was no other way.

She had to hitch a ride home.

Mai saw a farm truck driving toward where she was. It was her only chance to be free. If the demon was driving it, she would let the vehicle crush her to death.

She ran toward the truck, almost crashing on to it. But the driver was able to kick the breaks on time.

After hearing a loud screeching sound and watching the truck halt to a stop, Mai tried to walk toward the truck.

The doors of the truck immediately opened.

Mai gasped in fear. She felt tears roll down her cheeks.


	28. Chapter 28

_Thank you so much again for all the time you spent reading and giving feedbacks on this story. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Sorry I wasn't able to upload on schedule. I've been experiencing attacks of benign writer's block...and silly-ness (...benign mental block? I need my pills). ^ _v 

_Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the next chapters. Please read and review!_

_Ghost Hunt is not mine. _

* * *

><p>Two shadows stepped out of the truck. One was hunched a little, and the other was short and stout.<p>

"Are you alright, young lady?" a husky voice echoed in Mai's ears.

The two shadows walked closer toward her. She wanted to run and hide but her legs were shaking furiously.

Soon the two were close enough for the headlights to give her a glimpse of their faces.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her shoulders shivered. She heard herself sob.

The two quickly walked closer toward her.

Soon, they were close enough for the headlights to give her an ample view of their faces.

An elderly couple- probably owning a farm nearby with their own set of grandchildren.

"What happened to you, child?" the old woman said, holding Mai as if she was her own daughter. "Who did this to you?"

Mai could not speak. She just cried in her arms.

"Let's take her to the police station," the old man said looking around the dark road. "Whoever did this to her could still be here trying to hurt her."

The old lady nodded. "Come, child," she said. "Don't be afraid. We're here now. We won't let anyone hurt you. You're not from around here, are you?"

Mai nodded.

The old woman hugged her once and then led her to the truck.

They were driving down the road in no time – heading toward the town.

The old woman still held Mai protectively in her arms. She wasn't crying as hard as she did when they found her in the road.

She was safe. She was finally going to be free.

She then heard a loud banging sound coming from the window of the door of the passenger seat.

Mai jolted and straightened her back in fright. She gasped.

There was a face on the glass.

"MAI! GET OFF THE TRUCK!"

Mai froze. She stared at the image trying to know why the muffled voice sounded familiar.

"MAI! SNAP OUT OF IT! GET OUT OF THE TRUCK NOW!"

She still didn't move. Though...in the dim light...she could see...

"...Gene..?" She whispered.

"MAI! OPEN THIS DOOR AND GET OUT!" Gene yelled.

"There's a police officer behind us," the old man said noticing a policeman on a motorcycle driving by his side. Mai looked at the old man.

"That's good," the old woman said. "Let's tell him about her. Perhaps he'll be able to go back there and catch those goons who harmed her!"

The old man nodded and slowly parked the truck at the side of the road.

"MAI!" Gene shouted.

Mai looked at Gene.

"NOW! OPEN THIS DOOR AND GET OUT OF THERE!"

Mai heard a motorcycle purr to a stop beside the truck.

"Good evening, officer," the old man said.

"Good evening," the 'officer' said.

Mai froze. The voice of the policeman sounded chillingly familiar.

"What brings you to this place at this hour?" the officer asked.

Mai stiffly turned her head to get a glimpse of the police officer.

"My wife and I were on our way home when we saw this young lady here," the old man explained. "She seemed to have been a victim of some muggers..."

Mai stared shocked at the face of the policeman.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

The officer looked back at Mai and smirked at her.

"MAI! GET OUT!" Gene yelled once more, hitting the glass with the side of his clenched fist.

"NO!" Mai screamed. "That's him! That's him!"

The old man and the old woman stared surprised at Mai.  
>"Please drive away from him! He's the one who hurt me!" Mai shouted.<p>

The old man looked at the officer and started the engine.

The policeman chuckled. "Too late for that, grandpa," he said, pointing a shot gun on the old man's face.

"NO!" Mai and the old woman yelled.

"MAI!"

A deafening sound echoed in the truck. Mai felt warm blood streaming all over her terrified face.

The head where the face was once there...was replaced with a bloody, fleshy, hollow...

The old man's head leaned limply on Mai's shoulder.

Mai then noticed that the shot gun was pointed at her.

"You really should've just waited for me there," the policeman said.

The next scream echoed with the sound of shattering glass.


	29. Chapter 29

Mai then felt a hand pull her arm away from the policeman.

She found herself being dragged...dragged from the truck...dragged from the road...dragged from the woods...

Mai sat up gasping for breath.

...Another dream.

And like the first one, it felt so real. She could still feel her heart ramming fearfully against her chest. It was too startled to calm down.

Sweat slid down her forehead. She quickly wiped it with her hand before she stared at her moist palms.

Were they blood? No, idiot. It was a dream.

Mai sighed and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Come to think of it, the policeman looked eerily like that Matthew she saw in the first dream.

Who was he? Was she Lyra again in that dream?

What was going on?

"Pack your things," Mai heard from someone in front of her.

She looked up and noticed Gene looking anxiously at her as he sat on her bed.

It was then that Mai remembered the old couple – the good people who just wanted to help her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Gene..."

Gene shook his head. "It's done," he said. "I'm sorry."

Mai couldn't help herself from crying – from grieving for the strangers who died to save another stranger.

Gene leaned his forehead against Mai's. "I'm sorry I didn't get there earlier," he said. "I was trying. But...I couldn't."

Mai shook her head. "You...you sa...you saved..."

Gene placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Mai, look at me."

Mai raised her head to see him.

"Pack your things," he said.

"But I have nowhere else to go," Mai said. "And don't you dare give me that thing about how Na..."

"Just pack your things," Gene said glaring at her. "At least have some of your necessities packed by tomorrow night."

Mai stared confused at Gene.

Gene sighed. "Please pack your things," he said. "Trust me."

Mai smiled back at him and nodded. "I trust you."

Gene smiled and held her in his arms. "Go to sleep," he said. "I won't leave you."

Mai nodded and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Edmund and I already have a plan," Florence said holding her phone against her ear. She paused for a moment. "Yes," she then said. "It's that complicated. How did you know that?"<p>

It was early in the morning and Florence received an important call. She was on her way back to her and Mai's room.

Florence held the door knob listening to the person on the other line. "Okay," she said. "I can do that. No problem...Yup. Tah!"

The line clicked at the same time that she turned the door knob and pushed the door.

"Mai..?" she called.

"I'm here," Mai said folding a skirt while sitting on her bed.

Florence went in and noticed the clothes that Mai seemed to be packing into a small bag. "Are you packing your things?"

Mai smiled at Florence. "I'm just trying to tidy my closet up. It looks so...messy."

Florence chuckled. "It's not like you have a lot of things Mai," she said sitting in front of Mai. "But I'll help you."

"Thank you," Mai said.

Florence began folding one of Mai's sweaters. "You want to tell me about it?" she asked.

Mai looked up at Florence.

Florence smiled at her. "I know you had a dream again. You don't look like yourself."

Mai sighed and looked shyly away. "Sorry," she said.

Florence laughed. "Why are you apologizing? I wasn't offended," she said.

Mai smiled.

"...So..?"

Mai sighed. "I saw that Matthew again," she said.

Florence anxiously watched Mai. "Did he hurt you?"

Mai shook her head. "I'm not sure," she said. "I feel like he did. But he didn't hurt me in the dream. He hurt someone else." An innocent elderly couple...

Florence sighed and folded another sweater. "Is Matthew's face familiar to you?"

"Only when I'm in the dream," Mai answered, folding another skirt. "His face just makes me feel so...scared. It's like he already did something horrible to me, but I honestly don't know what it was."

Florence folded a blouse. "Are you sure you don't want us to ask Naru about this?"

Mai nodded. "He'll probably think it's nothing anyway."

Florence smirked. "That's it, isn't it?"

Mai looked up at Florence and raised her brows.

"That's why you don't want to tell him anything about it," Florence said. "You're afraid that he'll only turn you down."

Mai looked away. "He's a very busy man."

"He's Naru."

"Exactly," Mai said folding a pair of shorts. "He's Naru. He doesn't like using time for mundane things."

"But matters about you are not mundane," Florence said almost chuckling.

Mai frowned at Florence. "If you're going to use that 'you're important to Naru' logic on me, no thank you," Mai said.

Florence laughed. "Why are you so thick when it comes to these things?"

Mai stared at Florence. "Am I really that thick?"

Florence rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Oliver watched the attendants as they set up the decorations, tables, and chairs in the hall.<p>

It was a Saturday and the banquet was later that evening.

Oliver sighed and looked out at the view below the balcony where he stood. He pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

He had no idea what to say.

He just needed to hear her voice.

"Hello?" the voice from the other end said.

"You have plans today?" Oliver asked in Japanese.

"Yes," Mai answered in the same language. "Florence asked me to go with her and Edmund to watch a movie."

"Edmund..?"

"He's Florence's boyfriend," Mai explained.

...Silence...

"You...have plans too," Mai shyly said.

"We have a banquet," Oliver said.

"Oh," she said. "You must be very busy then."

"What movie are you going to watch?" Oliver asked. He knew what Mai was thinking and he didn't want to let go of the phone yet.

"I...forgot the title of the movie...But I think it's a comedy," Mai answered honestly trying to recall the title of the movie.

"What are you going to do after that?" Oliver asked.

"Dinner," Mai said. "Edmund wants to treat Florence and me to lunch."

"Where will you have your lunch?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know the name of the restaurant," Mai said. "But it's supposed to be somewhere in Westminster..?"

"You have no idea where he's taking you," Oliver said.

...Pause...

Oliver smirked. Mai was scowling – probably even pouting on the phone.

Lin smiled seeing Oliver smirking at no one while standing on the balcony.

He had been standing a few feet away from Oliver. Lin noticed that Oliver was placing a call when he walked into the hall. He decided to listen to the conversation in an attempt to know who his charge spoke with on the day he visited Oliver's office.

Hearing Oliver speaking in Japanese and looking happy – it's not normal to see Oliver smirking – Lin knew that Taniyama Mai was on the other line.

"Edmund is like a brother to me," Mai said, trying hard not to raise her tone. "And he's Florence's boyfriend. I don't think he would put us in any danger."

"It does not change the fact that you do not know where you are going later," Oliver replied. "And I don't think that I said anything against Edmund earlier."

...Pause...

Oliver was smiling. He could see Mai's pouting lips. She was probably huffing.

Lin raised his brows in awe.

Oliver Davis was smiling? Whoever this Taniyama Mai was, she was amazing.

"You're going to call me 'idiot' again," Mai said.

Oliver bit his lips from chucking. "I wasn't thinking about doing such," Oliver said in the most apathetic tone he could muster. "But if you insist, I will do it – idiot."

Mai groaned.

Oliver held his lips from laughing.

"I hate you, Naru," Mai said.

"You don't mean that," Oliver said.

...A sigh...

Mai was smiling. Oliver was sure that she was smiling.

"What if I do?"

"You don't."

...Pause – another scowl from Mai.

"But if I do mean it," Mai said. "What would you do?"


	30. Chapter 30

"You don't mean it," Oliver said. "You're an idiot."

Mai groaned.

"I'm just as human as you are," she said. "Doesn't that mean I can indeed hate someone? Can't you hate me if I..."

"I can't," Oliver said without thinking – which was obviously out of character again.

Mai froze. "You...can't?"

Oliver realized what he said. "Are you going to wear a skirt again later?" he asked.

"I think so," Mai said quickly forgetting what Naru was making her forget.

"We'll be having the usual rain showers today," Oliver said. "Wear something warm."

"I'll be wearing tights," Mai said. "And then I'll wear my knee boots and trench coat. I was also thinking about wearing a scarf."

"Don't forget to bring an umbrella with you," Oliver said.

"I won't," Mai said. "Hey! Bring an umbrella with you too."

"I'm already in the hotel," Oliver said. "And I'm not an idiot."

"And I am..? You're so full of yourself!"

"Noll..?" Oliver heard his mother call from a far.

He glared at the balcony's view of London. "Call me when you get home," he said. He quickly ended the call and slipped his mobile phone in his pocket.

Oliver turned and noticed Lin standing a few feet away from him. He glared at Lin.

Lin walked toward him.

"You're spying on me now," Oliver said.

Lin walked with Oliver. Luella saw them.

"I just want to make sure that you're not planning on eloping anytime soon," Lin said.

Oliver glared harder at Lin.

Lin smirked. "Does that glare mean that you're planning on eloping?"

"Mind your own life, Lin," Oliver said.

"You know I can't do that," Lin said. "After all, I am partly being paid for minding your life."

Oliver grunted and looked at Luella who was waving at them from the buffet table.

* * *

><p>Elbert looked at the grey sky through the window.<p>

He listened to the humming wind, to the blissful chuckles, to the tapping sounds against the brick pavement outside...

Oswald walked in with a tray of food. He placed the tray on a table and walked toward Elbert with a set of keys.

Elbert patiently kept his eyes on the window as Oswald unlocked the padlocks that held Elbert's chains.

"Where are your maids going?" he asked Oswald.

Oswald froze. "I don't know what you're saying," he said trying to act indifferently. He was however planning on confronting the servants about it.

"It's their day off," Elbert said.

Oswald glared at one of the locks that he was trying to unfasten. There was only one brown-haired woman in the group of maids having their day offs that Saturday.

"You promised not to touch anyone here," Oswald warned.

Elbert sighed. "...Even if it's just this one..?"

Oswald glared at Elbert. "Do you want me to let you eat on your own? Or do you want me to ship you back to the asylum?"

Elbert sighed and closed his eyes. "But it's so hard..." he mumbled. "She's so..."

Oswald embraced Elbert. "Let her go, Uncle."

Elbert groaned. "I want her, Elbert," he said. "Give her to me. Just her..."

Oswald let go of Elbert and looked out the window. "Let me think about it."

* * *

><p>...Eight in the evening...<p>

Oliver was walking through the crowd and making small talks with the guests. This was the role Gene played well in conferences and banquets.

Oliver sighed. He had been doing the job for less than three minutes...and his jaw, no face...felt sore.

How could Gene smile that long all the time?

Oliver looked at the entrance of the hall.

His parents were busy meeting the guests. He looked at another side of the hall and spotted Lin and Madoka doing the same thing. Other SPR members were there too and they were all entertaining the guests as well.

"So this rumour on the newspaper about you getting hitched," jested an American paranormal scientist.

Oliver tried his best to keep his face as friendly and professional as possible, though he couldn't help but imagine what the man would look like if he threw him up the ceiling.

"Is a rumour," Oliver said.

"So you can still meet my daughter, Amelia?" asked an English paranormal scientist.

Oliver bit his lips from snapping at the man.

"Dr. Davis," called a familiar voice from the crowd.

Oliver turned to look at who called him and sighed in relief at the sight of the guest's bright smiling face. "A moment, gentlemen," he told the paranormal scientists talking to him.

They nodded in return.

Oliver walked toward the blonde priest smiling at him.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," John said wearing a simple tux and holding a brown bag against his chest.

"Not at all," Oliver said. "Your timing was perfect. I'm glad you were able to come. How was your flight?"

"It was good," John said. "The accommodations you gave were wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me here."

"I was actually wondering why you weren't invited in the past conferences," Oliver said. "Having you here is a great honour to the paranormal psychology research community."

John chuckled. "You think too highly of me," he said. "I have a package for you by the way – from Japan," he said handing the bag to Oliver.

Oliver received the brown bag and took a peak at its contents.

There was a pack of tea with the logo of Haruka-san's tea shop, and a brown envelope with a familiar Japanese handwriting script.

Oliver looked up at John.

"Yasuhara-san told me that you like tea," John said. "I hope you like that one."

Oliver smiled professionally at him. "Thank you, Fr. Brown," he said. "I will surely enjoy drinking this tea."

"Oliver," greeted Charlotte as she gracefully glided toward Oliver. Her hand quickly crept up to his chest.

Oliver glared at her.

John looked away. "I...will check on the other guests," he said.

"Do that," Charlotte told John.

John nodded at Charlotte and Oliver, who was at that time nonverbally begging John not to go.

John sighed and walked into the crowd. He noticed another priest in the hall and decided to talk to him.

Oliver glared at Charlotte again. "How loutish," he muttered toward Charlotte. "That was a Catholic priest you just shooed."

Charlotte froze and looked away. "I didn't know," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Apologize to him, not to me," Oliver said turning away and asking a house servant, assisting with the banquet, to put the bag in his car.

Charlotte pulled his arm. "I just missed you," she said.

Oliver glared at her. "You're doing more harm than good."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked away. "I saw the newspaper article," she said.

Oliver kept his eyes on her.

Charlotte smiled and turned to look at Oliver again. "Don't you think that picture of us was wonderful? We make a great pair."

Oliver glared at her. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were behind it."

Charlotte chuckled and walked closer to Oliver. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Oliver tried to push her away.

"Will you humiliate the Science Minister's daughter in this crowd?" Charlotte asked.

Oliver gritted his teeth.

Charlotte smiled and nodded toward something from behind her. "I think that's Professor Davis," she whispered.

Oliver looked at the direction Charlotte nodded her head to and indeed saw Professor Davis eyeing them.

Oliver clenched his fists in anger.

"Isn't that display of affection too much for the public eye?" asked a young woman who was suddenly standing beside Oliver.

Oliver and Charlotte looked at her.

"Who would this dwarf be?" Charlotte asked raising a brow at the Japanese doll-looking guest.

"Hara-san," Oliver said. "Welcome to the England."

Masako smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Dr. Davis. It's a pleasure to be invited here again. I was surprised when I received a handwritten letter invitation from you before the formal invitation card was sent to me."

Charlotte glared at Masako. "...A handwritten letter invitation from Oliver?"

"Yes," Masako said. "Were you not able to receive one? I heard such intimate invitations were sent to very important guests."

"Why would you think you're that important?" Charlotte asked, clearly pissed.

Masako smiled. "Dr. Davis and I are...friends. We met in Japan two years ago."

Charlotte froze. She stared at Oliver – trying to see if he would deny it.

He didn't. He just looked at her like nothing was wrong in what Masako told her.

Charlotte glared at Masako. "Why would Oliver meet you?"

"Hara Masako," Oliver said. "...Is a renowned medium from Japan. We have invited her in conferences and seminars in the past. We personally met in Japan two years ago when I surveyed the place for the plans of having a branch of SPR in Shibuya."

Masako smiled at Oliver. "So will you be having an office in Japan soon?" she asked.

"We are still discussing the proposition," Oliver said.

"I see," Masako said. "I hope it's accepted. I'd be very much willing to give you a hand."

"Thank you, Hara-san," Oliver said.

Charlotte stiffly watched them talk.

...A branch of SPR in Japan? Was Oliver planning to have a branch there to be with Hara?

Masako looked around. "I don't know anyone else here," she said acting as helpless as possible. She looked up at Oliver. "Can you tour me around?"

Charlotte tightened her hold on Oliver's neck.

"Ms. Weist," Oliver said.

Charlotte looked at him.

"Ms. Hara is an important guest," Oliver said.

Masako raised her kimono sleeve-covered hand to cover her smirking lips.

Charlotte let Oliver go.

"I want to have some fresh air," Masako told Oliver.

"The balcony is this way," Oliver said leading Masako away from Charlotte.

Masako quickly wrapped her arm around Oliver's.

Oliver sighed.

If it was any other day, he would've snapped at Masako.


	31. Chapter 31

"Are you sure you two won't sleep over at my apartment?" Edmund asked Florence and Mai.

They were eating supper in a restaurant. As planned, they spent the day watching a movie and doing some window shopping.

"Mai doesn't want to sleep anywhere else," Florence said. "I can't leave her in that bloody bedroom alone."

Mai and Edmund chuckled.

"It's really alright with me, Florence," Mai said. "I can sleep there on my own."

Florence shook her head. "You are not sleeping on your own there," she said. "That is final."

Edmund laughed. "You do know that I have two extra beds in that excess room in my apartment," he said. "...Yes?"

Florence laughed. "Apparently, Mai here thinks that she'll be a burden to us."

Mai looked away – cheeks flushed. "No...That's...not it..."

"I'll be out most of the night because of my work," Edmund said. "And I don't want Florence to stay there alone."

"I know," Mai said looking up at Edmund. "But I..."

Florence chuckled. "Just walk us to the mansion," she told Edmund.

"With pleasure," Edmund replied.

Mai smiled.

A part of her was screaming that she should accept Edmund and Florence's offer. But there was also a part of her that wanted to stay in the mansion.

They soon started to walk home.

* * *

><p>"She's Charlotte Weist then," Masako told Oliver in Japanese as they stared out at the nightscape from the balcony.<p>

Oliver didn't reply. He was too busy trying hard not to snap at the fact that Masako's arm was still wound around his.

"Do you like her?"

"Do I look like I do, Hara-san?" Oliver asked in the same language.

Masako chuckled. "Masako, Davis-san," she said. "You can call me Masako."

Oliver felt his pocket – the pocket where his mobile phone was.

Mai hasn't called.

He told her to call him when she was already in the mansion from her trip with Florence and Edmund.

Are they still in a park? ...In a restaurant?

Oliver took a peak at the watch on his wrist.

He saw the time and tried not to glare at it.

It was almost nine in the evening and Mai was still in one of the streets of London.

"How are you?" Masako asked. "I haven't heard much from you since...the funeral."

"There's always a lot of work to do in the university and in the SPR office, Hara-san," Oliver said.

Masako looked away. "I thought you didn't like Ms. Weist."

Oliver looked at Masako.

Masako looked up at him. "So the rumours..."

"Are rumours," Oliver said.

Masako smiled. "Rumours are partly true," she said. "I'm guessing you're really engaged to her."

Oliver held the mobile phone in his pocket.

Should he call Mai to check on her?

Masako leaned her head on Oliver's arm. "You were forced by your parents," she said. "I heard the Science Minister really wants you to be in his family."

Oliver kept his eyes at nowhere.

Should he just send Mai a message?

"I'm willing to help you, Davis-san," Masako said looking down and placing her hand on Oliver's.

Oliver stared at her.

Masako looked up at him. "What your father needs to call off the wedding is a suitable bride, right?"

Oliver stiffened.

Masako leaned closer to Oliver. "I...am willing to be one...for you," she said - her cheeks flushed in her attempt to be a little more forward for a change.

Oliver was about to retort when he noticed someone looking at them.

He froze. Professor Martin Davis stood near the balcony watching them. When Martin saw Oliver looking at him, he smirked.

"...Davis-san?" Masako asked noticing Oliver's stiff stance.

"I appreciate your concern," Oliver told her. "I however don't need..."

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He quickly pulled out his phone to see who was calling.

* * *

><p>Mai spotted the gates of the mansion. Florence and Edmund were still laughing at a joke that he made.<p>

Mai decided to call Oliver and tell him that they were about to reach the house.

* * *

><p>When Oliver saw Mai's name of the screen of his mobile phone, he wanted nothing else than answer it and get rid of Masako.<p>

But she just had to intervene.

Masako covered the vibrating phone in Oliver's hand with her own hand. "Please don't refuse my proposition," she said suddenly standing in front of him. "Give me a chance."

"Hara-san," Oliver began.

Masako buried her head against his chest. "My father can talk with the professor," she continued. "Your engagement will be called off in no time, and you will be free."

"Will I really be?" Oliver muttered, still holding the vibrating phone in his hand.

Masako looked up at him. "I won't force you to marry me," she said. "Just a few dinners will do."

Oliver didn't know what to do.

He wanted to shoo Masako off and answer the phone, but his father was watching. What would he think? He also didn't want to humiliate Masako. There was a crowd outside that will no doubt notice Masako's sad face.

* * *

><p>Mai sighed. She had been ringing Oliver's phone for quite some time and he still wasn't picking up.<p>

"Maybe he's in the loo," Edmund said.

Florence laughed. "Naru in a loo," she said.

"He's human," Edmund said. "...Right? And Florence, you are unbelievable! You're imagining the guy doing his thing in a loo?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are," Edmund teased.

"I am not!" Florence insisted – her cheeks blushing.

Edmund laughed. "You are! Look, you're all red!"

"Who wouldn't blush on that kind of accusation? Wait! You imagine me in a loo, don't you? That's why you think I can imagine Naru in a loo. You're bloody disgusting!"

"I do not do that!"

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

Mai chuckled at the bickering couple. She sighed and looked at the mobile phone in her hand.

Oliver still wasn't picking up.

* * *

><p>Oliver looked away from Masako and noticed that Martin was walking away – probably back to the crowd in the hall.<p>

Oliver stepped back from Masako.

He had to clear things up with her before he ends up in another mess.

"Hara-san, I'm sorry," Oliver said.

Masako shook her head. "I understand that you don't want to open yourself to anyone yet," she said. "Dinner – that's all I ask. Just a chance to be your friend..."

Oliver sighed. It was then that he noticed that the mobile phone stopped vibrating.

He quickly checked the screen and saw a missed call notification message.

Oliver looked down at the nightscape. Mai was probably home.

But he felt worried...anxious...scared.

He felt that something horrible was going to happen.

He wanted to run away from the banquet and meet her – or just see her.

"Go," he thought. Why he thought of that word, he had no idea. He just heard his voice say 'go' while his train of thought weaved an image of Mai's smiling face.

* * *

><p>Mai opened the door to let Florence and Edmund into the kitchen where the back door led to.<p>

"Are you girls sure that it's alright if I step my feet in here?" Edmund asked still standing near the door frame.

"The royal hag brings different make-out mates in here when she's in her day off and she's still a servant here," Florence said.

Mai laughed knowing who the 'royal hag' was. Edmund chuckled.

"Besides," Florence added. "It's not like we're going to do something scandalous or anything. You're here because it's about to rain and you don't have an umbrella."

Mai smiled at Edmund. "Florence is right," she said. "Look at how dark it is outside."

Edmund looked out the door and noticed the rain drops staring to trickle softly from the dark sky. "Well it is night time already," he said. "So you can't blame the rain for how dark it is outside."

Florence laughed. "Naru's 'I'm smarter than thou' attitude doesn't suit you, Edmund," she said.

Edmund scowled at Florence and Mai – trying to look like an upset toddler.

Florence and Mai burst into laughter.

"...Mai..."

Mai stopped and turned to look at the open door of the kitchen that led to the main hall of the house.

"Is something wrong, Mai?" Florence asked.

Edmund noticed how Mai seemed to be staring at something beyond the main hall. "Mai..?"

"...Mai..."

Mai felt chills creeping up her spine. "Did you hear something?" Mai shakily asked Florence and Edmund.

The couple stared at each other. "Hear what, Mai?" Edmund asked.


	32. Chapter 32

Mai looked at them with a smile on her face. "Nothing," she said, thinking it was her imagination running wild. "I'm sorry. I thought I heard something."

Florence walked closer to Mai. "Are you sure? You can tell us about it."

Mai shook her head. "It's just my imagination," she said unconsciously wrapping her arms around her.

"Blimey, your kitchen is bloody cold," Edmund commented as he closed the door. The rain outside was starting to pour.

Florence shivered. "It must be the rain," she said.

Edmund chuckled. "Look at your breath," he said. "It's like your breath in winter!"

Florence and Mai stared confused at Edmund.

Mai sighed.

It was then that Florence and Mai noticed how their breath seemed as visible as smoke.

"That's odd," Florence said. She suddenly felt a cold wind touch her skin.

She quickly looked at the windows to see where the wind came from.

All the windows were closed.

"...Mai..."

Mai turned to look at the main hall again.

The temperature in the kitchen was dropping.

"I don't like this," Edmund said protectively wrapping his arm around Florence's waist.

"Edmund," Florence said grabbing the end of his shirt.

"Mai, come here," Edmund called seeing how Mai seemed like she was being lured away from them by something that felt...very bad.

Mai ran to Florence. Florence quickly held her against her chest.

"Is there supposed to be other people in the house?" Edmund asked.

"We don't have the same day offs," Florence answered. "About ten other servants should be here."

"Where are they?" Edmund asked.

"I'll call them," Florence said. "Elise! Margaret! Jimmy!"

Mai shivered. The room felt colder than before.

"Elise! Margaret! Jimmy! Damien, are you there?" Florence called out.

They soon heard footsteps coming from the main hall.

A brunette young man, a stout blonde middle-aged woman, and a thin red-head girl walked into the kitchen.

"Hey! Florence," the young man cheerfully greeted. "...Edmund! Nice to see you, mate."

Edmund smiled at him. "Nice to see you too, Damien!"

"How was your trip down town?" the stout woman asked.

"Great, Elise," Mai answered.

"Is it me, or is Mai really pale?" the red head asked.

Everyone looked at Mai.

Her lips were pale.

"She **is** pale, Margaret," Elise said.

"Mai, are you okay?" Florence asked checking her temperature.

"Blimey, it's so cold in here," Damien exclaimed, rubbing his hands on his arms.

"I'm sure I turned the heater on," Elise said checking the heater in a corner of the kitchen.

Margaret walked closer to Florence to help her check on Mai.

"You don't have a fever," Florence said.

"You have goose bumps," Margaret said. "Well it's very cold in here."

"The heater is on," Elise said looking up at them after checking the heater.

"Perhaps it's jammed," Damien said standing near the kitchen counter.

"Does this happen a lot?" Edmund asked.

"It's actually the first time," Damien answered.

"...Mai..."

Mai looked at the main hall again.

"What's wrong, Mai?" Margaret asked.

Mai shook her head. "It's nothing."

"...Mai..."

"Blimey, this room's getting colder," Damien muttered. "Let me look at that bloody bugger," he said walking toward the heater.

"Want to come inside?" Margaret asked. "Master Mortimer is out, and so are the other servants. So Edmund can come with us. I heard the rain will be pretty harsh tonight."

Florence looked at Edmund. She slightly tugged the end of his shirt that she was still holding on.

Edmund nodded. "Let's go," he said. "The other heaters in the house are still working, right?"

Elise chuckled. "The heater in the library is working best," she said. "We were just there before you called."

"Let's go," Margaret said leading Florence, Mai and Edmund.

"...Mai..."

Mai froze. The voice sounded louder.

"Mai..?" Edmund asked. The others also noticed Mai's frightened face.

"...Mai..."

"Florence," Mai shakily said grabbing Florence's hand.

"What is it, Mai?" Florence anxiously asked.

The lights in the kitchen went off.

Everyone looked up at the light bulb.

"It must be the electricity," Damien said.

The light turned on again...then off...on...off...on...

"...Mai..."

Mai gasped. She felt something extremely cold against the back of her neck.

Edmund wound his free arm around Mai's shaking shoulders.

The light was still turning on and off faster than it did the first time.

"What's happening?" Margaret asked – tears streaming down her cheeks in fear.

Elise and Damien were beside the others in no time.

Then the most chilling noise echoed in the kitchen – a deafening scream of a woman who seemed like being tormented to death.

Everyone froze.

The scream echoed louder with every flicker of the light. They soon heard the sound of pans and plates crashing to the floor.

The utensils were thrown around the kitchen. The pots and pans were smashing on the walls. The glass, mugs, cups, and plates were exploding in the cupboard.

"...Mai..."

Mai winced.

"Who was that?" Elise asked.

Everyone heard the eerie voice.

Florence tightened her hold on Mai.

Margaret turned to look at Mai...and screamed.

They all looked at Mai. Elise herself shrieked in fright.

Beside Mai was a woman with long wet dark brown hair all over her face. Her skin was as pale as paper. And her bloody hands were holding Mai's arms.

"...Mai..." it whispered to Mai's ear.

Mai wanted to scream in fear.

She was suddenly seeing jumping from one memory to another – memories she knew weren't hers.

There was a memory of her in a dark room. There was a memory of her walking with people she didn't know. There was a memory of her being dragged into a car, a van, a dark cellar...

There was a memory of her being chained on a wall. She felt the coldness of the iron chains, the sting of being cut, the shame of being stripped, the fear of being violated and the harshness of being drowned...

The next thing she knew she was being dragged away from Florence who was, for some reason, on the floor with Edmund and the others.

She could hear them calling her name. She could see them standing up and running to catch her.

And she saw them being hurled against the kitchen walls by an unseen force.

Mai held on to the door frame. She could still hear screams – deafening screams echoing in the house.

Margaret and Elise were unconscious on the floor after bouncing off the tiled counter. Damien's forehead was bleeding and he could barely stand. Edmund's forehead was bleeding as well. He was on the floor covering Florence from the rain of broken glass, spoons and forks falling after flying swiftly around the room.

"Mai!"

That was Florence.

Mai sighed in relief at the thought. She was still alive.

Florence tried to crawl toward Mai, who was at that time on the floor and holding the end of the door frame. She could see from Mai's struggling that an invisible thing was still pulling Mai by her two feet.

"Edmund," Florence said trying to think of a way to help Mai.

"I'm trying," Edmund said, attempting to stand. Each time he did, an unseen force strongly pushed him back on the floor.

Mai's grip was weakening. She could barely hold on to the door frame.

"Please no," she begged, wincing and closing her eyes in prayer.

"...Mai..."

Mai opened her eyes.

She saw a face in front of her – a face with 2 black holes as eyes. Maggots crawled in the huge patches on its jaw, cheek, and forehead where its purple-hued skin seemed to melt into the bone.

Mai wanted to scream but she couldn't find the strength to do it.

She closed her eyes instead, still trying to keep herself from being dragged away.

"...Mai..."

Its breath hit her face – its scent a combination of rotting things. She opened her eyes in reflex and saw its mouth wide open.

Its sharp and crooked teeth were full of blood. The same blood was oozing down its dark lips.

Another deafening scream and the next thing Mai sees is its teeth sinking into the flesh of her shaking two hands.

The minute her brain recognized the pain, Mai couldn't keep herself from screaming.

"MAI!"

The pain made Mai let go of the door frame.

Florence, Edmund and Damien saw Mai being dragged feet first into the main hall.


	33. Chapter 33

_WOW! Thank you so much for all the reviews you've made on the last chapters. I'm really happy to know that I was able give some of you at least some bone chills. Like I said in my profile, I never really thought I could effectively write horror scenes. _

_And reading your reviews, I guess I had some improvement! Yey!_

_Thank you all so much for reading and appreciating "Key." I hope you continue to enjoy this story._

_Please read and review. Ghost Hunt is not mine _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"Mai!" Oliver heard a voice in his head say.<p>

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose.

Was he hearing things again?

"Is something wrong, Davis-san?" Masako asked touching his arm.

"I'm fine," Oliver said. "Are you done enjoying the view, Hara-san?"

Masako sighed. "Is it really that hard for you to call me by my first name?"

Oliver looked at her. He wanted to snap at her but before he could begin, the rain started to pour loudly.

It was a good thing that the balcony was below another balcony, which was located on the floor above the banquet hall. They didn't get wet.

"We should get back inside," Oliver said.

Masako nodded.

They were about to walk away from the balcony when Oliver felt his mobile phone vibrate again. He quickly answered it thinking that the caller was Mai.

"NARU!"

Oliver froze. It wasn't Mai. It was Florence...and she was panicking.

"What's going on?" Oliver quickly said.

Masako watched him glare at the nightscape as he listened to whoever was in the other line.

She really liked him. She was impressed with him despite his cold nature. When she heard the news about him being engaged to another woman, she felt really heartbroken.

She didn't want to attend the conference. It was the letter – the invitation from SPR for her to be a speaker in a seminar about how mediums of a particulat nationality speak with spirits supposedly of a different nationality and culture from them.

According to the invitation, Oliver Davis himself recommended her to be the speaker.

At that moment she felt hopeful. Perhaps Oliver saw her as someone important to him. After all, he had met a lot of professional mediums in his field. Yet, he not only remembered her, but he also recommended her to be an important speaker.

That must have meant something, right?

So she took the chance to fly to England and see him. When he saw her glaring at his supposed fiancée, all her fears about officially losing Oliver went down the drain.

Oliver didn't like his alleged fiancée. He was merely forced to be betrothed to her.

She still had a chance to be with him.

Seeing how overt his supposed fiancée was about her feelings for Oliver challenged Masako to fight for him. So she drank a glass of martini and promised herself that she would be true to what she wanted.

But hearing Oliver say sorry, watching him ignore her for a phone call... Was he still not ready to love someone other than his twin?

Masako gazed at Oliver's deep blue eyes. They were as captivating as she remembered.

Masako froze.

She watched Oliver's serious eyes grow wide in fear.

"What..?" he exclaimed.

Masako suddenly saw panic and fright on his face.

Did something terribly wrong happen in the SPR office? Was there an accident in their house?

Oliver quickly slipped the mobile phone in his pocket and turned to run back to the hall.

"Davis-san," Masako said, following him.

But he acted like she wasn't there. He ran away as if he wasn't leaving anyone behind in the balcony.

Sincerely worried about Oliver and whatever bothered him, Masako ran to follow him.

Upon reaching the hall, Oliver acted as if nothing happened. He casually but quickly glided through the crowd with Masako close behind him.

* * *

><p>Lin was on his way to the buffet table to get a drink when he saw Oliver gliding through the crowd and somewhat heading toward the Fire Exit door that was near the corner leading to the loo.<p>

He quickly sensed that something was wrong.

"Koujo can you..."

"Madoka," Lin quickly said cutting Madoka's question.

Madoka stared confused at him. She immediately noticed the alarm on his face.

"I'll call you later,"he said turning toward the nearest door.

Madoka nodded, understanding what he meant. She quickly checked where Martin and Luella were.

Lin was out the door a few minutes before Noll went through the Fire Exit door with Masako close behind him.

* * *

><p>"What's happening?" Masako asked Oliver – still running and following him down the steps of the Fire Exit.<p>

Oliver didn't answer. He kept his thoughts into the path out of the building that he was taking.

He had only one goal at that moment – get there on time.

At exactly what time though, he wasn't sure. He just hoped that he would still be able to see her as alive as he remembered.

Oliver and Masako soon reached the parking lot.

Masako found herself falling on her knees the moment she stepped out of the lot to follow Oliver's quick run to the street.

"Oliver!" she breathlessly called.

Oliver again did not respond. He was busy trying to stop a cab or any passing vehicle.

The rain was pouring. Water was dripping down the ends of his hair and chin.

But Masako could still see the burning determination in his blue eyes.

What horrible thing just happened? Where was he going?

She then heard the sound of screeching tires from the parking lot. She turned her head and saw black car driving toward Oliver.

Masako gasped in shock. She quickly turned to Oliver. "OLIVER!"

Oliver turned his head back to the parking lot.

The cabs were all full. After all, it was already raining hard.

He then heard a car somewhat speeding toward him from the parking lot so he turned his head to check what it was.

Oliver froze upon recognizing the black car.

The car stopped beside him – giving him access to the passenger seat door.

The glass window slid down.

"Get in," Lin said.

Oliver opened the door and got into the car.

Masako watched the car drive away from the lot.

She held her lips in awe.

The black car was owned by the Davis family.

* * *

><p>"Mind telling me what happened?" Lin said driving hastily beside a drenched and anxious Oliver.<p>

Oliver didn't hesitate to tell him where he was headed to. So he quickly drove toward the address that Oliver gave.

"Elbert Norringbent," Oliver answered – his eyes fixed on the road.

Lin's eyes went wide in shock. "You've been keeping tabs on him?"

"Not exactly," Oliver said.

Lin tried to wait for Oliver to explain things further but what he got was further silence.

He sighed. "Let me guess," Lin said. "It's complicated."

Oliver didn't answer. "Traffic," he said eyeing the road ahead of them. Vehicles were clogging the way and the traffic light just turned red.

"Detour then," Lin said drifting the car into a nearby alley.

Oliver took a quick glance at Lin who was fixed on speeding through the alley. "Let me guess," he said. "You've been playing Grand Theft Auto on your laptop."

Lin smirked, drifting the car toward another alley. "You should try it some time," he said. "Oh wait, you already did. Gene beat you there a lot, didn't he?"

Oliver glared at the road. "He was just lucky."

Lin chuckled.

* * *

><p>"You're quite happy tonight," Luella told Martin.<p>

She noticed that Martin's mood made a drastic change after passing by one the balconies.

Martin chuckled. "I just thought that Hara Masako would also be a suitable bride for Noll," he said.

Luella raised her brows in surprise. "Hara Masako? ...The Japanese medium?"

* * *

><p>Damien, Edmund, and the newly awakened Jimmy were pushing the suddenly locked door of the supposed room of Elbert Norringbent.<p>

Mai was dragged feet first across the main hall, up the ten steps of the stairs and through the hall of the left wing.

Deafening screams that they knew were Mai's echoed throughout the entire wing of the house.

Elsie and Margaret were crying on the floor of the hall.

Florence was walking back and forth, holding the mobile phone against her ear.

She had been talking to Oliver when upon saying 'Mai was dragged out the hall,' the call was cut. She had been trying to contact Oliver again but all her attempts ended up as missed calls.

"One...two...three..."

Another loud banging sound echoed in the hall.

"Blimey," muttered Jimmy. "What the bloody hell is happening here?"

They had been beating the door open after they realized that the trail of smudged blood they saw on the main hall floor led to the Norringbent's bedroom. They first tried to use the key to unlock it.

The door knob was apparently jammed.

They tried to kick it at the same time. They even tried to hit it with their shoulders.

The door was still shut.

"FLORENCE!" a loud yell called out from the main hall.

"That's Naru," Florence said quickly running down the hall toward the stairs.


	34. Chapter 34

She saw a drenched Oliver and a towering Asian man at the bottom of the steps. "This way," she said leading the two toward the room.

Oliver climbed the stairs two steps at a time. Lin did the same, realizing that a human life was in danger – most likely Taniyama Mai's.

They were at the top step of the stairs when they heard a cringing scream from the left wing.

Oliver froze. "Mai..?"

Florence turned to Oliver. "She's been screaming in pain since she got inside that room."

Oliver quickly ran through the hallway.

Lin followed understanding how frightening the situation was.

They stopped in front of a door where three men were trying to open it by hitting it with their combined weight.

"We've been trying the open the bugger," Jimmy explained. "It wouldn't budge."

Oliver glared furiously at the door. He could still hear Mai's shrieks.

Lin quickly felt a strong gust of wind coming from where Oliver stood. He blocked Oliver from the door with his left arm.

"Save it for later," he said, knowing well that as much as he wanted Oliver to not use his gift, it was the only way they could stop what was happening beyond the door.

Lin placed his two fingers between his lips and whistled.

Two white lights swiftly attacked the door.

He then twisted his hip a little to hurl a solid kick on the door.

The doors crashed back into splinters.

What they saw had them all covering their noses.

A reeking smell – that similar to rotting blood and flesh – quickly filled the hall.

They could barely see anything in the dark room. They did however notice the smoke-like things flying inside it from various corners. Some of the smoke-like things seemed to have two holes for eyes and a large one for a mouth.

The things were screaming in a deafening high-pitched tone.

Edmund, Damien, and Jimmy couldn't get passed the door frame.

"MAI!" Oliver called stepping into the room and ignoring the unsettling stench and the head-aching noise.

Lin followed him.

The room was incredibly large for a room. They couldn't see anything.

And for some unsettling reason, Mai's screaming also stopped.

Oliver glared at the darkness. "Damn it," he muttered. "Stay back! All of you!" he shouted at the others behind Lin.

Lin stopped anyone who dared to follow him inside.

"Lin," Oliver said.

Lin quickly whistled again. Three white lights flew into the room. It seemed to make the smoke-like things scream louder.

The light vanished into the darkness.

"I'm starting to think that we should have brought John-san with us," Lin whispered.

"You're not the only one," Oliver muttered.

A loud roar echoed in the room – shaking the floor. For a minute there they thought the floor was collapsing.

"Belial," Oliver said.

"Noll," Lin threateningly said. "One shot. That's it."

Oliver glared at the darkness in front of him. He heard a high-pitched scream from behind him. "The ceiling!" he yelled out.

Lin quickly looked above and saw a man in a straight jacket on the corner of the ceiling. His back seemed to be stuck on the ceiling the way his chained feet were on the walls.

A large iron ball dangled from the end of the chains on his feet.

The man growled like a hungry animal. His cloudy grey eyes were flaring with hunger and his mouth was wide open – flaunting a set of dentures that seemed to have eaten something foul.

Lin glared at the man, ignoring the drop of black drool that dropped from the man's mouth.

"Just two?" a raspy voice said from the dark.

Oliver bit his lips. This was one of the things that he didn't want to happen.

"Noll..."

"Keep your eyes on Norringbent," Oliver muttered.

The man on the ceiling burst into laughter.

Lin kept his body from cringing. The man's laughter sounded like that of a hyena's.

"Oh right, he's in hell," the raspy voice said.

"Oh you visited your home lately?" Oliver replied.

Norringbent laughed once more. "Feisty," he said in a raspy voice. "Just like her."

Lin suddenly felt a strong wind coming from Oliver. "Noll," he warningly called.

"Noru," the raspy voice teased. "Little Noru..."

Oliver smirked. "You can't hurt me though, can you Belial?"

The next thing Florence and the others saw was Norringbent falling on Lin and a black thing attacking Oliver.

A loud thump echoed in the room and Norringbent flew out of the hallway hitting and sliding down the nearest wall.

A loud crackling sound echoed in the room at the same time that the loud thump did. A bright light illuminated the room for a moment.

It was however, enough for them to see the horrible interior of the room – walls smudged with blood, furniture thrashed into splinters, shards stuck on the wall surface...

...On the very back of the room was a body.

A loud and deafening crack echoed inside the room.

It was followed by another set of high-pitched screams.

The room went dark again.

"Lin!" Oliver called.

Lin knew Oliver had Taniyama in his arms.

"Get her in the car," Lin said while he held an unconscious Norringbent down the floor. He ordered Jimmy to get a rope.

Florence watched Oliver carry a limp and unconscious bloody Mai in his arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Edmund led her down the stairs to help Oliver get Mai inside the car.

Oliver ran out of the back gate and stood near the black car while Edmund opened the door to the back seat.

Mai wasn't breathing. But he was afraid of performing CPR inside Norringbent's room.

"Get Lin," he ordered Edmund.

But Edmund was already running back to the mansion to get Lin.

Florence was crying in the back seat.

Oliver had laid Mai down on the back seat to do the first aid. Florence sat beside Mai's bleeding legs.

"Get me some towels," Oliver ordered Florence.

Florence nodded and quickly got out of the car.

It was only after Florence left that Oliver allowed his face to show panic.

"No please, Mai, breathe," he said checking her pulse and wiping the blood off her face with his hand. "Please Mai," he said slightly raising her chin up. He then breathed air into her lungs.

He suddenly felt something warm around her chest.

He checked it and saw blood slowly soaking her torn shirt.

"Damn it," Oliver cursed.

Her lungs were damaged.

It would take a miracle to revive Mai – a miracle he was willing to give his life for.

He looked at Mai's face. He could see how purple it was even under the dim light of the car. "Please just a pulse," he whispered. His sight was getting blurry with every second that passed.

Tears fell down Mai's cold cheeks.

"Mai please," Oliver said placing his forehead against hers.

He held her cheek in one hand and tried to slowly breathe air into her lungs again.

Blood just kept on streaming out of her chest.

Oliver's shoulder was shaking. He knew he was crying again – just like that time when he sat on the park bench and realized that he lost her for good.

He held the gold key on Mai's necklace and closed his eyes.

Oliver saw Mai being dragged on the floor by her feet. Her head and arms hit tables and chairs in the main hall. A porcelain vase even crashed on her head after she hit a table.

Blood streamed down her forehead, hands and arms. It smudged blood on the floor.

Mai was then dragged up the stairs – each step hitting her chin and scraping her arms, legs, and knees.

It left a trail of blood on the steps.

After being dragged through the hallway and into the room, Mai found herself flying backwards against a wall.

The back of her head hit the wall first – spilling blood down the wall as she fell back on the floor.

When Mai opened her eyes, she saw a round iron ball looming over her head.

"I can't pleasure you because of this blasted jacket," he heard Norringbent say. "But since I don't want to waste your effort on visiting me, I'll pleasure myself with you."

Mai screamed in fear. Her mind was screaming, 'Naru.'

The iron ball dropped down on her shoulder – a cracking sound echoing in the room, followed by a series of loud chuckles and heart-breaking screams.

Mai saw Norringbent lift the iron ball. This time he aimed it at her left leg.

"NO!" she screamed. "PLEASE NO!"

Oliver opened his eyes and looked at Mai.

"I'm sorry," he said crying as hard as the rain poured. "I'm so sorry. Mai please... Please give me another chance. I beg you please..."

Mai's body was still. Blood kept on soaking her shirt.


	35. Chapter 35

Edmund and Florence ran out of the back gate ignoring the strong rain quickly drenching their clothes. Florence hugged the towels tight against her chest, trying her best to keep them dry for Mai.

Mai wasn't pale when Florence saw her.

Mai was purple.

Edmund held Florence's waist. She had been crying since she saw Mai in Oliver's arms. He had to admit that he wanted to do the same thing – cry.

Moreover, he wanted to beat the life out of Elbert Norringbent.

When Oliver took Mai out of the room, she was barely covered by anything. Her clothes were torn to shreds. Blood was all over her body.

And her skin was nearly purple.

He was worried that it was too late to save her. But Oliver seemed calm.

Mai must still be alive. They could still save her.

Lin was running behind them.

Based on how Oliver's eyes gazed at Mai's body when he carried her away from the room, Lin figured that something was terribly wrong.

If it was true, Lin was sure that he would feel guilty.

If he didn't let Martin schedule the banquet that night, or perhaps if he didn't let Martin and Luella keep Oliver within their sight throughout the preparations for the banquet, Taniyama would still be alive.

Lin bit his lips.

Taniyama should be alive. She should be.

He had no idea how Oliver would take it. After all, it took Oliver two years to somewhat recover from the first time that he lost her.

Losing her again...and losing her to the same thing that took his brother...

Oliver was strong but when it came to the people he loved, he snapped.

Lin quickly got into the driver seat while Edmund jumped into the passenger seat and Florence in the back seat with Oliver.

"Here's the towel," Florence said handing the towel to Oliver.

To Florence's surprise, Oliver was at that moment cradling Mai in his arms.

The white shirt below his tux was almost red.

Oliver quietly received the towel and pressed it against Mai's chest.

The towel immediately turned red.

Lin on the other hand was drifting the car once more. This time, he was aiming for the nearest hospital.

He took quick glances of Oliver using the rear view mirror.

Oliver had Mai on his lap – his arm protectively cradling her. His left cheek kept her limp head from sliding off of his shoulder. His free hand pressed a supposedly white towel on her chest.

The towel however was bright red at that moment.

Lin drove through various alleys again to avoid the traffic in the streets.

There wasn't much time.

If the towel was absorbing that much blood, it meant that Mai was having a terrible case of haemorrhage.

And of course, that time was running out.

Edmund watched Oliver hold Mai in such an intimate manner. Well, knowing how Oliver might have felt about her would warrant for the intimacy but he didn't think he would be that intimate.

Edmund could barely see Oliver's face. And when he looked closely at Oliver's face through the his reflection on the rear view mirror – he seemed to be mumbling something against Mai's forehead.

Has the great Oliver Davis gone insane? And if he did...is Mai..?

Edmund looked at the road ahead. He didn't want to think about that.

Mai was alive. He had to be. Oliver's assistant was breaking traffic rules at that moment to get her to the hospital and have doctors mend her wounds.

Mai was alive. She had to be.

Lin drove the car to another alley, hoping to reach the road that would take them straight to the nearest hospital.

He took another quick glance of Oliver and Mai using the rear view mirror.

Oliver looked unsettlingly dead.

Lin noticed that Oliver hadn't spoken a word since they got in the car. He just sat there like a lifeless mannequin holding Taniyama's body tight against his own.

Lin watched Oliver hand the scarlet towel to Florence in exchange for another white one.

It was mechanical.

Lin couldn't see anything on Oliver's face.

And the new white towel that Oliver used to put pressure on Taniyama's chest wound was slowly turning red.

That was a good sign, right? That meant that Mai's heart was still pumping blood throughout her body.

...It was also a bad sign.

Lin bit his lips from cursing.

How he wished the hospital was nearer. Hell, he wished there was a highway that literally went straight to the hospital...at least. But it just had to be a road with several twists and turns.

Taniyama had to survive...or Oliver himself won't be able to survive that rainy evening.


	36. Chapter 36

A few more turns in the alleys and over speeding on the barely used roads later, they reached the hospital.

Edmund quickly got out and opened the door to let Oliver out.

Oliver stepped out of the car holding Mai tightly against his chest.

It was then that Edmund noticed how soaked Oliver's black coat and slacks were. If they weren't black, he was sure it was all a shade of red at that moment.

Florence, Edmund, and Lin ran to follow Oliver into the hospital.

The nurses quickly prepared a gurney for Mai.

Everyone in the hospital looked panic-stricken at the sight of Mai's limp and bloody body.

Oliver laid her down the gurney – the blood-stained gold key on Mai's necklace glinting in the light of the hospital.

It was under that bright white light that they all realized how wounded Mai was.

On her chest was what seemed to be, a hole in a shade of deep scarlet. It was covered by the towel Oliver had been holding against her chest.

One of her shoulders looked deformed.

On her arms and legs were long deep cuts that were still bleeding, gashes and huge bruises. Her face though bloody had only small scratches. Her chin was probably the only part on her face that was wounded badly.

They also noticed how the part of the gurney cradling Mai's head turned red the moment her locks hit the cloth cover.

The nurses quickly covered her nose and mouth with an oxygen mask while they began to push the gurney toward the emergency room.

Florence, Lin and Edmund followed Oliver, who at that moment still held Mai's purple hand while the gurney was being wheeled to the ER.

Lin immediately held Oliver from behind the moment they reached the emergency room door. He knew Oliver would insist that he go in with Mai.

He decided to hold Oliver back before he threw a fit.

Lin was right. Oliver struggled to get away from his grip as they watched the doors of the emergency room shut close after the nurses who were wheeling Mai inside.

Luckily Oliver was too weak to exert enough strength to push Lin away. He could even barely speak.

Edmund held Florence tight in his arms. She was crying loudly against his chest.

"It's okay," he said. "Mai's a strong girl. She'll make it," he continued trying to convince himself that what he was telling her was true. He kissed Florence's forehead.

Lin watched Oliver look anxiously at the emergency room doors. He could see nothing but longing and fear in his eyes.

"Let's sit down, Noll," he told Oliver pulling him toward the nearest bench.

Oliver dropped limp on the bench – his eyes fixed at nowhere. Florence and Edmund sat with him.

* * *

><p>"Madoka," Luella said walking toward Madoka in the crowd.<p>

The program for the banquet had begun and the guests were having their dinner. Luella and Martin were still attending to the guests.

After being asked by one of the guests about Oliver's whereabouts, Luella noticed that his son wasn't around. She also couldn't find Lin so she decided to look for Madoka.

Madoka turned to look at Luella with a cheerful smile pasted firmly on her face. "Yes, Luella?"

"Have you seen Noll?" Luella asked.

Madoka tried her best to keep the composed expression on her face. "Yes," she answered. "He's with Koujo. They said they were just going to get something that Noll forgot in the SPR office."

"Oh," Luella said. "It must be his book," she sighed. "I told him not to keep it with him tonight for a change. I even made an effort to hide it in his office in SPR so he won't be able to see it in his bedroom. I guess he figured it out. I should've told Lin that he shouldn't let Noll get it."

Madoka chuckled. "The banquet is going smoothly anyway," she said. "I don't think it won't do any harm if Noll would focus his attention to his book now."

"You're right," Luella said. "At least the guests have had enough of good impressions about him at the start of the banquet."

Madoka nodded.

"You should also start dinner, Madoka," Luella said. "The guests seem to love the food. I have a feeling that we'll run out of food for ourselves in no time."

Madoka chuckled. "I will Luella, thank you."

Luella turned away and looked for Martin.

Madoka sighed in relief. She honestly had no idea how to answer Luella's question.

She hadn't received a word from Koujo since he and Noll left the hotel. She was also worried about what made Noll upset enough to leave in such a short notice.

It was then that she felt her mobile phone vibrate in the hidden pocket of her cerulean evening gown.

Madoka quickly walked toward the loo and made sure that no one else was there. She then pulled out her phone and answered the call.

"Madoka," Lin said upon hearing the click on the other line.

"Koujo!" Madoka said. "Where are you? Luella's looking for Noll."

"We're in the hospital," Lin answered.

"WHAT!" Madoka exclaimed.

"Calm down," Lin said sighing at Madoka's reaction. He knew she would act that way. "Noll's alright...at least for now. It's Taniyama-san. She...got involved in an accident and Noll and I helped her."

Madoka sighed in relief. "You gave me a fright there, Koujo," she said. "Don't do that again. Luella and Martin will kill me if something bad happened to Noll."

"You're not exactly the only one who'll get murdered," Lin said. "Listen, I don't think it would be good to have Noll back in the banquet after this," he said eyeing Oliver who was staring lifelessly at the white tiles of the hospital floor.

Oliver had been that way since Lin made him sit on the bench with Florence and Edmund. It had been a while or so since they wheeled Mai into the emergency room. After all, it took Lin some time to fill up the forms and pay for Mai's admittance in the hospital.

Oliver didn't speak the whole time. He didn't move. He didn't even seem to be fidgeting the way an average human did.

If Lin didn't know better, he would think that Oliver was dreaming or doing a psychometric reading.

Lin froze.

The whole time that Oliver cradled Mai in the car...the whole time Oliver held the towel against her chest...the blood on the gold key... No. There was a finger print on the gold key – a print made using blood.

Lin saw the blood on Oliver's hands.

"Oh no," Lin said realizing why Oliver seemed dead. It wasn't only caused by the strain of his PK in his body.

"What is it, Koujo?" Madoka asked from the other line. "What's happening?"

"Madoka, I need to go," Lin said. "I'm going to take Noll back there to support whatever alibi you gave Luella. But we need to convince them that Noll should go home."

"Okay," Madoka said. "Promise me you'll tell me everything."

"I doubt I would forget that," Lin said.

"I'll see you and Noll later then."

Lin heard the click on the other line that cut the call. He quickly walked to Oliver.

"Noll," he said as calm as he could. "We need to go back."

Oliver didn't move.


	37. Chapter 37

Edmund and Florence watched them. They had also been worried about Oliver's actions...or lack of action. Never did they think that the great Oliver Davis could look that distressed.

"Noll, your parents are looking for you," Lin said slightly shaking Oliver's shoulder. "We need to get back."

Oliver didn't respond.

Edmund tapped Oliver's shoulder. "We won't leave her," he said.

Oliver lifted his eyes from the floor and looked at Edmund.

Edmund froze. Oliver wasn't crying. His eyes weren't wet. But they were red. Edmund knew Oliver had been crying for quite some time. And Oliver's eyes were...dead.

Edmund sighed. "Mai is like a sister to Florence and me," he said. "If it was possible for us to adopt her, we would have taken her in as our daughter. We won't leave her. Not now."

Oliver looked back at the floor.

For the first time, Florence saw a twenty-year-old Oliver Davis...and a hint of what Oliver must have been when he was younger.

All the images of him that she remembered reflected a full grown man, even when he was just seventeen. That was how mature, confident, and tough Oliver Davis was.

But the Oliver beside them was different.

He was confused – bothered by a horrible dilemma. He was lost...and frightened.

Florence realized that she was indeed older than Oliver.

She placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "We're all frightened," she told him. "And we're all hoping for the best."

Oliver looked up at her.

Florence smiled. "I don't think Mai would be happy to know that you got in trouble with your parents because of her."

Oliver looked away and nodded.

Lin thanked Florence and Edmund before he helped Oliver stand up from the bench.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you can walk?" Lin asked Oliver as they walked down the hall of the hospital – Oliver's arm lying limp around Lin's neck.<p>

Oliver didn't answer. But Lin felt that he was still walking. Oliver was forcing himself to lift his legs.

If Lin wasn't worried about how Luella and Martin would react to everything that happened, he would have had Oliver confined in the hospital as well.

But they had to protect Mai...for Oliver's sake.

* * *

><p>Lin quickly drove the car away from the hospital. Oliver sat weakly on the passenger seat. Lin could clearly see how pale he was.<p>

It was a good thing Florence had wiped the blood away from Oliver's face before they left. At least it wouldn't cause too much fuss.

"Here," Lin said pulling out a bag with a neatly folded shirt and coat from a compartment in the dashboard. Madoka always kept a spare in the car believing that Lin would need it for something. He handed it to Oliver who had already wiped the blood on his hands using Madoka's stash of wet napkins hidden somewhere in the car. "Can you change into that?"

Oliver nodded and started to take off his coat.

Lin had to look away. It was a good thing that they had the windows tinted. If it weren't, he was sure that a police officer would ask them to stop for a moment and explain where they came from.

Oliver's white buttoned shirt was red.

It would be a challenge to explain how Oliver could never be involved in a murder with that much blood on his clothes.

He remembered his conversation with the nurse when he was filling up the papers for Mai's stay in the hospital. They were asking him to let the hospital report the incident to the authorities.

After all, Mai looked more like a victim of attempted murder than a victim of a freak accident.

It took him tons of alibis and explanations just for the hospital to ignore what happened. At least they believed him when he said that they had already made a report on the incident with the police and that the authorities advised them to get Mai's life saved first while investigations were done.

Mai also had an issue with her citizenship. She didn't have legal papers so he had to pull some strings to get her hospital admission papers fixed.

Oliver placed his folded bloody clothes on the back seat.

...And that too had to be fixed. Luckily, Lin took his own car instead of Luella and Martin's. At least he would be able to have the seat covers changed and the whole car disinfected without his bosses wondering about a reason behind it.

People had always confused his car as Luella and Martin's. After all, he didn't like to buy a car that looked too ostentatious. So he bought a car that looked professional enough for his job – a black car that ended up looking similar to what Luella and Martin kept in their garage.

Come to think of it, it also looked similar to Oliver's car which Lin drove when he took Oliver to the university. Oliver didn't like driving that much. And he wasn't that patient with nasty drivers on the road.

Lin remembered Oliver using his PK to hit a driver's windshield with a trash can lid from the street. The said driver almost hit them in the course of a 'fun' over speeding escapade. It made Gene laugh for hours while Oliver just pouted, seeing that the driver didn't end up in a nasty car crash.

Lin sighed. A lot of things had changed in the course of five years.

He glanced at Oliver.

He was slumped on his seat – evidently tired.

"Go to sleep," Lin said. "It will take us a few minutes to reach the hotel from here. "

Oliver didn't answer. But he did let his eyelids close.

Lin saw a tear slide down Oliver's cheek.

It made him wonder if Oliver knew that Mai would...

Lin sighed and kept his eyes on the road.


	38. Chapter 38

"I can't pleasure you because of this blasted jacket," Norringbent said. "But since I don't want to waste your effort on visiting me, I'll pleasure myself with you."

Mai screamed in fear.

The iron ball dropped down on her shoulder – a cracking sound echoing in the room, followed by a series of loud chuckles.

Mai saw Norringbent lift the iron ball. This time he aimed it at her left leg.

"NO!" she screamed. "PLEASE NO!"

The iron ball dropped down on Mai's shoulder again, making her scream louder in pain.

Norringbent laughed at tears that Mai was shedding. He knelt down and licked the blood on Mai's cheek.

"Your blood," he whispered. "I want your blood."

The deafening shrieks echoed louder as if it was excited at the idea of making Mai bleed more.

Norring bent laughed and looked walked toward the rocking chair. He smirked and looked at Mai. "I haven't done this before," he said as the rocking chair slowly lifted itself up the air.

Mai watched the chair levitate in horror. She could barely move with the agonizing pain in her shoulder.

"NO! PLEASE!"

The chair suddenly hurled itself toward Mai, hitting her several times until it dropped to pieces on the floor.

Norringbent laughed seeing Mai's flesh - red and gashed. "I've always wondered how it feels to batter you to death."

Mai's cries were being swallowed by the excited shrieks in the dark.

"Please...Why are you...doing this?" Mai shakily asked.

Norringbent laughed. "You always ask me that."

"What..?"

Norringbent laughed once more. "And now you're going to pretend that you haven't met me before," he said. "After how many times you teased me...and after how many times that I killed you..."

Mai vouldn't stop herself from crying harder.

She was dying. She was dying a horrible death.

The few pieces of furniture in the room suddenly floated in the air. They began to fly around the room – faster and faster.

"I'll make this more exciting," Norringbent said. "Which furniture do you want to be hit by first? ...A lamp? ...Or a side table..?"

Mai kept on crying. She couldn't think of a way to escape.

"Naru," she breathlessly whispered.

Oliver fell down on his knees, and punched the floor - his shoulders shaking as tears peeped through his shut eyelids.

Norringbent laughed. "No answer? That means both!"

The lamp and the side table hurled themselves toward Mai's body on the floor. The lamp broke into pieces – the glass bulb shattering on the floor. The side table battered her legs.

Mai screamed in pain.

The shards of the broken bulb floated and hurled themselves toward Mai several times – cutting her skin and the cloth that covered it.

Oliver looked up, watching Mai crying and screaming in pain as more pieces of wooden furniture hit her frail body.

He wanted to run and cover Mai from the pieces of furniture attacking her. But he couldn't move further into the scene. He wanted to use his PK to tear Norringbent to pieces. But no matter how many times he concentrated on releasing the energy inside him, nothing came out.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

His vision of Gene's death was similar to this. He could only watch it. He couldn't do anything to change it.

He couldn't push Gene away from the speeding car. He couldn't attack the people who were about to throw Gene down the lake. He couldn't jump off the lake to save him.

When most of the furniture was broken to pieces, Norringbent walked back to Mai to examine the red marks on her body.

He smirked. "Impressive," he said.

The pieces of wood that were sharp floated in mid air and slowly tore the sleeves of the straight jacket off to free Norringbent.

He laughed in triumph the moment he was able to stretch his arms.

"NO!" Oliver shouted. "DON'T! NO! LET HER GO! PLEASE!"

Norringbent stared at Mai hungrily. "Unfortunately I promised my nephew I wouldn't pleasure myself that much," he said. "So I'll just pleasure myself with this," he said picking up a sharp piece of glass.

"Please," Mai begged breathlessly. "I'm sorry...Please...no..."

Norringbent laughed and knelt down at Mai. He pulled Mai's boots off and positioned the glass between Mai's bare legs.

"NO! CURSE YOU! LET HER GO!" Oliver yelled.

Norringbent laughed at how Mai cried. "Scream for me," he told her. "Scream out my name."

"NO!" Oliver shouted – his voice almost breaking.

"Master...Norring...bent..." Mai cried. "Please...Don't..."

Norringbent pushed the glass on her thigh and pulled it down swiftly – slashing it and spilling blood.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed in the room followed by a chilling series of chuckles.

"DAMN YOU!" Oliver yelled. "I WILL KILL YOU NORRINGBENT! I WILL KILL YOU!"

Norringbent continued to cut Mai's flesh. He licked some of the blood that flowed out of the gashes before slashing another area in her flesh.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Oliver cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks – his head slumped down on the floor. "Stop it, I beg you. It was me! I didn't want you to be exorcised. Let her go...Please..."

He weakly looked up again to see Norringbent holding broken piece of wood from the wrecked rocking chair.

The slightly blunt point was aimed at Mai's chest.

"NO! NO! STOP! NORRINGBENT! NO!" Oliver cried out.

Norringbent stabbed Mai's chest using the piece of wood. He had to hit her with the wood several times before blood flowed out of her chest.

Oliver could hear nothing but Mai's pained screams.

"MAI!"

Norringbent licked the blood streaming down from her chest. He laughed out loud – the spirits around them shrieking in excitement.

Norringbent lifted the wood and aimed for Mai's face.

"NO!" Oliver cried.


	39. Chapter 39

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Key," and also to those who read and appreciated the prequel to this story, "Are you happy?" I apologize for the staggered updates. _

_I'll let you guys in on a little secret...I honestly have no idea how to make Mai survive that encounter. I've been waiting for some really nice ideas to inspire me last week. And I still don't have enough ideas to make me write it down. It's like Mai in this story doesn't want to wake up, haha! Insane isn't it? But I understand how important this is to all of you so don't worry. I haven't quite given up. _

_I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Please read and review (inspire me with your bright ideas)! Ghost Hunt is not mine. _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"He's not feeling well," Oliver heard Lin say from outside the car.<p>

He slowly opened his eyes and saw a blurry image of his mother looking at him.

"Oh dear, Noll," Luella said. "Perhaps we should take him to the hospital!"

"Noll, son," Martin said suddenly next to Luella. "How are you feeling?"

Oliver looked at them and waited for his vision to clear. When everything looked better, he opened his mouth to speak.

He then thought of what to say...

...He couldn't think of anything. He felt so tired.

"Sleep," Oliver mumbled.

"You want to sleep, dear?" Luella asked. She kissed Oliver's forehead. "Oh Martin, let's take him to the doctor."

"I don't think you two should leave the banquet," Lin said standing next to Madoka.

It was then that Oliver realized where he was – in the passenger seat of Lin's car. The door was open and his parents were hovering over him. Lin and Madoka were beside the car facing his parents.

If his parents, especially his father, were still that calm, Lin and Madoka must have covered things up for him.

Oliver looked at Lin and Madoka. The couple looked back at him, acknowledging that Oliver realized what they had done.

"I'll take Oliver to the doctor," Lin said.

"Tomorrow," Oliver added.

Luella and Martin stared at Oliver.

"Tomorrow..?" Luella asked. "Noll you're pale as paper! You will go to the doctor tonight, young man."

Oliver pouted – something he unconsciously did only when his parents were around. "I want to sleep," he said.

"But you—"

"What your mother wants to say is that we're afraid that you might get worse," Martin cut Luella.

"Yes," Luella said.

Oliver sighed. "I know. But I'm just tired," he said. "I want to sleep. I don't feel nauseous. I don't feel any pain in my body. I just feel tired. I'll let Lin take me to the doctor tomorrow."

"Are you sure you can even take yourself up to your room if you go home?" Martin asked.

"Yes," Oliver said, keeping his lips from saying something like, 'Isn't that why Lin will be with me?'

Luella and Martin stared at each other, still bothered about not taking Oliver to the doctor that night. Oliver and Madoka watched them - wondering what Oliver's parents would decide to do.

"I'll drag him to the doctor tonight if I have to," Lin said breaking the silence.

Martin and Luella looked at Lin. Oliver gave his assistant a cold glare.

Lin kept his eyes on Luella and Martin, trying hard to avoid the chilling glare Oliver was sending him.

Madoka bit her lips from laughing.

"I'll stay in the house to make sure he's alright," Lin added. "If I find that he should be rushed to the hospital, I will do so without further ado."

Luella and Martin nodded.

"Very well then," Martin said. "I'll leave Noll to you, Lin."

Lin nodded.

Luella turned to Oliver. "Take care, dear," she said hugging her son.

"I will," Oliver replied, giving her a squeeze.

"Don't force your self," Martin said, patting Oliver's back.

"I won't," Oliver answered.

* * *

><p>Oliver found himself inside a dark and familiar room – his own bedroom.<p>

He sat up and scratched his eyes.

The last thing her remembered was looking at the road as Lin drove them away from the hotel parking lot for the second time.

He checked his clothes.

Yes, he was still wearing Lin's spare tux.

He sighed. He passed out again didn't he?

Oliver checked the digital clock on his table.

It was almost twelve midnight – visiting hours were over.

He sighed.

Did Mai make it? Was she alright? Would she be okay?

Oliver scratched his head.

He remembered Norringbent's face...how he slashed Mai's thigh with a broken glass...how he stabbed her using a blunt piece of wood...what happened when he aimed the wood at Mai's eye...

Oliver winced.

He had to forget. He would go insane if he didn't forget it.

The last time that he made a psychometric reading was when he held the mobile phone he gave Mai back in Japan. It wasn't even intentional.

After that, he stopped himself from doing anymore readings even if it solved a case that they were conducting an investigation on.

Oliver sighed. There was a part of him that seemed to tell him everything was alright – that Mai was alive.

But he wanted to be sure. He wanted to see her in a more stable condition. He wanted to at least see that her cheeks and lips weren't purple.

Oliver quickly checked his closet for a coat that he could use. He immediately changed his clothes, wound a watch around his wrist, wore his newsboy cap and walked to his window. He looked down at the dark lawn.

His room was on the second floor. The window faced an old and branchy ash tree. He had been using its branches as a ladder ever since he moved to his room for privacy.

He remembered the first time he jumped out of the window to land on one of its branches one night. He ended up falling painfully on the grassy lawn. It woke up the household.

Gene scribbled various insults on the cast Oliver received for his broken ankle.

But it didn't stop him from trying the feat again. He eventually became a pro in escaping his room by jumping off the window to hang from the branch and climb down from the tree to land his feet on the lawn.

Oliver sighed.

The last time he did the feat was more than two years ago – when he escaped to go to Japan and find Gene's body.

Hopefully the branch was still sturdy enough to support his weight.

Oliver glanced at his door.

It was locked. There weren't any lights in the hall.

Oliver looked down at the lawn once more.

Security was usually more rigid in the evening. But then, Oliver wasn't your average cat burglar. After all he could always control the security cameras to turn away from him, just like how he always did.

And since he passed out earlier, he doubted anyone thought that he would pounce out the window and run away. They would all think that he was too weak to do it.

Oliver took a deep breath.

Where was the hospital again? Oh yes...and the room number... What name could Lin have used to admit Mai in the hospital?

Oliver looked down at the watch he wore around his wrist.

And he had to break into the hospital.

A highly respected professor and scientist breaking into the hospital...Gene would have laughed hysterically at how low Oliver had stooped for Mai.

Oliver shook his head.

"It was your fault, idiot," he muttered gently opening his window. "You went to Japan and had yourself killed. If you didn't go to Japan and you didn't die there, I never would have met Mai."

He stepped out of the window, placing his foot on the ledge below the window frame.

For a moment there, he thought someone laughed inside his head.

As expected, his foot was too big for the ledge.

Oliver sighed and reached out to hold on to the nearest water pipe running down from the roof. He held on to it and gently closed his window.

He turned to the ash tree and took another deep breath. He then leaped toward the nearest branch and held on to it - dangling himself from the tree.

Oliver could hear its wood creaking against his weight.

He had to get down before it snapped.

Oliver jumped off to the ground, landing on his two feet.

He quickly looked around to check if the sound of his landing alarmed anyone.

The lawn was as dark and peaceful as it was from his window.

Oliver stealthily ran to the nearest wall and using his hidden wall-climbing skills, climbed it and jumped on top of it, toward the other side.

Once there, Oliver tidied his coat and cap.

"I figured you'd be here," Oliver heard a familiar voice say from behind him.

Oliver scowled and turned to the speaker whom he knew so well. "Good morning, Lin," he said glaring at him.

Lin sighed looking away from Oliver's chilling glare. "Calm down," he said. "I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to take you to the hospital. I promised your parents I would take you to the doctor today, didn't I?"

Oliver's eyes softened and his lips smirked. "I never thought you had it in you."

Lin frowned at Oliver. "Tease me about this and I will have your parents dragging you back in the house in no time," he said.

Oliver glared. "You wouldn't dare."

"I can try," Lin said looking away again.

Oliver sighed. "Where's the car?"

"Here," Lin said leading him toward the black car that was parked not far from where they stood. "We'll use your car. I took mine to the cleaners."

"Have you also burned my tux?" Oliver asked getting into the passenger seat.

"Yes," Lin answered sitting on the driver seat and starting the car. "Was that the reason why you didn't bother much about the brand of the tux you wear? So you wouldn't mind burning it in the future?"

Oliver fixed his eyes on the alley that Lin was driving the car through. It didn't take long for them to reach the highway. "Clothes, for me, are all the same," he said. "I would've told you to burn it even if it was a Brioni."

Lin sighed. "Rich kids," he muttered.


	40. Chapter 40

_BLIMEY! Key is **this** long already? Sorry. I did not intend to make Key this long. To tell you the truth, "Are you happy?" and "Key" are both part of one idea...or story. I had no idea that it would be this long if I uploaded it here, ^ _v ^

_Before I go ahead and consult you on another dilemma, I'd like to thank everyone who read and reveiwed the last chapter I uploaded. And also for all the suggestions I received! It really helped me come up with what will happen later in the story. _

_So now I have another dilemma. I know this is pretty shallow, but I just can't help it. I'm really bothered at how many chapters this is taking so I was thinking of ending Key. On what part, I am honestly not quite sure. Maybe this chapter will be the last..?_

_Again, do help me out. And do read this chapter! I would appreciate having reviews for this. Ghost Hunt is not mine. Tah!_

* * *

><p>After parking the car, Lin led Oliver into the back door.<p>

"You bribed the security?" Oliver asked riding the elevator with Lin.

"No," Lin answered. "I spoke to the owner."

Oliver sighed. He looked up and watched the numbers change on the elevator display. But he could barely register what floor they were in.

What he had in his mind were images of Mai – how she would look unconscious in the hospital bed with a breathing apparatus and a set of tubes attached to her skin...how she would open her heavy eyes to see him...how he would hold her hand in his...

Oliver shook his head. That was too much.

Lin watched Oliver stare at the floor of the elevator.

Oliver didn't speak a word the whole time they drove to the hospital. He didn't ask how Mai was. He didn't even drop a hint that he wanted to know how she was doing.

He did his best to look...normal.

But Lin could see the fright and anxiety in Oliver's eyes.

The elevator doors opened and Lin led Oliver into the hallway.

Oliver could again barely register which way they went. He just followed Lin. At some point he began to hear a sound other than their foot falls on the hallway floor. He wasn't quite sure what it was though.

His head was too busy trying to conjure up an image of Mai that he longed to see.

Lin stopped in front of a door. He turned and looked at Oliver.

"Were you listening?" he asked.

Oliver stared confused at Lin.

Lin sighed. "I was telling you something about Taniyama's condition."

Oliver kept his gaze on Lin. "She survived the operation," he said in an attempt to tell Lin that he heard him. After all, Lin led him to a room - not a morgue. Mai survived. She had to have survived.

Lin knew Oliver was too worried to listen to what he said. And as usual, it was Oliver's inference skills redeeming his pride.

"We're in the ICU," Lin began. "Taniyama is currently having blood transfusions. The doctors put a cast on her right shoulder, left hand, and chest. She's having difficulty breathing."

Lin paused waiting for Oliver to digest everything.

Oliver nodded.

He knew what happened. He knew what the doctors would do to save her.

He felt relieved that Mai survived the operation. The small pulse that he tried to keep inside her while he held her close to him allowed Mai to stay with him in the world of the living.

Mai was alive. She survived.

"The doctors however said that she is still unstable," Lin said, carefully eyeing Oliver.

Oliver kept his eyes on Lin.

"She's currently under a coma," Lin continued. "Her heart beat is still weak. It had stopped several times after she was moved into this room."

Lin saw Oliver's body turn stiff - his chest frozen.

Oliver wasn't breathing.

"There's a 60-40 chance that she'll...I'm sorry, Oliver," Lin said sadly.

Oliver looked at the closed door. Suddenly everything around him felt too much – too much to notice, too much to know. He wanted to snap at Lin and tell him that it wasn't a good joke. But he knew Lin never joked around about other people's lives.

At that moment, he just felt...hurt. Something inside his chest knotted painfully into a massive lump that blocked his breathing.

"How...long..?" Oliver asked.

"The doctors are giving her a few weeks," Lin answered.

Oliver felt the pain in his chest intensify. It was more painful than realizing that Gene was dead.

Lin could see how moist Oliver's eyes were.

"Can I see her?" Oliver asked.

Lin turned his back to Oliver and opened the door. He walked in and greeted Madoka who was sitting on a chair beside Mai's bed.

Oliver followed him inside.

The room was like any average private room in the ICU - at least one that he was familiar to. It had a blinds-covered window, a door that must lead to a bathroom, a set of apparatus near the bed, a sofa bed that at that moment was occupied by a sleeping couple – Florence and Edmund. Florence had her head on Edmund's lap.

"They didn't leave her," Madoka said looking at Oliver's lifeless gaze at the couple.

It was only then that Oliver realized that Madoka was no longer on her seat. Instead, she was standing beside Lin.

Oliver looked at Madoka and saw sorrow on her face. "I'm so sorry, Noll," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Oliver shook his head. "How long have you been staying here?" he said in his usual apathetic tone.

"I went here right after the banquet," Madoka answered wiping her tears with a crumpled tissue. Her eyes were a little red under the light of the room.

Oliver nodded. "Thank you," he said looking at Madoka and Lin.

Madoka and Lin nodded back.

Oliver took Madoka's seat and looked at Mai.

She was worse than he imagined. She looked worse than she did when she was hospitalized in Japan.

Mai didn't look like she was sleeping. She looked more like a person waiting for death.

He expected a dextrose tube and a blood transfusion tube...an IV and a breathing apparatus...but seeing the setup at that moment – the bandages that covered her wounds, the cast and its support...

Oliver couldn't breathe.

He looked at Mai's face. She wasn't purple, but she wasn't in her usual shade of pink either. He noticed how the bandage covered the top of her head.

The doctors had cut her hair. It was now as short as it was when he first met her.

Oliver gently combed what was left of Mai's hair away from her face using the tips of his fingers.

Her eyes looked tightly sealed.

He could barely hear the irritating beep that was supposed to echo her heart beat.

Oliver caressed Mai's finger tips. They were cold and limp.

He leaned closer to her and placed his forehead against hers – closing his eyes as he felt the little warmth that she had against his skin.

...A sixty-forty chance of being with her...just a couple of weeks to stay beside her.

Lin watched Oliver's fingers weave themselves with Mai's frail ones.

It didn't take long for Oliver to fall asleep.

Lin covered Oliver's shoulder with a blanket that he took from Oliver's room. He took it right after he set the unconscious Oliver on the bed to sleep.

Madoka weaved her fingers with Lin's. "I want to do something," Madoka whispered looking sadly at Oliver. "We didn't have the chance to save Gene from death, and Noll from its heartache. This time, we had all the chance we needed to save Mai. But we didn't use them. She's still here with us. But we know that Noll is losing her. Koujo, there must be something we can do!"

Lin held Madoka's hand. "Believe me, I'm as upset about everything as you are right now," Lin said. "But we can't move without Noll's consent. It will upset him more."

Madoka nodded.

"Let's go home," Lin said. "I doubt Noll would want to leave her right now."

Madoka and Lin walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"They told me what happened," Oliver heard someone familiar say from beyond the door.<p>

Based on his watch, it was ten in the morning. He glared at his surroundings – something he usually did whenever he woke up in the morning.

The room was too white and bright for his liking. Its smell was too painful for his nose. And Mai was right in front of him.

Yes, he spent the night in the hospital.

He yawned and stretched his arms. A blanket slid down his back. He picked it up and recognized it.

Lin must have taken it from the closet after he left Oliver sleeping in the bedroom.

Oliver folded the blanket and placed it on a nearby table. He glanced at the sofa bed and found it empty.

Florence and Edmund must have left already.

He then looked at Mai once more.

It must be the morning hue of the light in the room...or the blur in his vision...

Mai looked...better.

He gazed at the heart monitor and saw a regular though weak flux in the line that represented her pulse. He realized that the irritating beeps also sounded steadier than it did last night though the silent intervals were still too long.

Oliver looked at Mai again and smiled. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"...pay for the expenses..." said the man beyond the door.

Oliver turned to look at the door and knew that Lin was there as well.

"I understand that you've already paid for the initial fees," the man continued. "But she works for me so allow me to consider the fees you paid as my debt to you. I will also foot her future hospital bills."

"Thank you," Lin said. "I appreciate your acceptance of this responsibility. I will still, however, need to confer this matter with Dr. Davis. I understand you have an idea why..?"

"Yes I do," the man replied. "Please believe that I never intended to have anyone harmed."

"We've worked with you before, Mr. Mortimer," Lin said. "I know that what you are saying is true."

Oliver stood up and walked to the door. He opened it slightly to see what was happening in the hall.

Oswald Mortimer stood facing Lin who was holding a black bag in the hallway.

It had been quite a while since Oliver last saw Oswald. But he was still surprised to see how old he had looked since then.

"Then please convince Dr. Davis to allow me to take responsibility of what happened," Oswald said almost pleadingly.

Oswald's eyes were swollen. There were deep dark shades below his eyelids.

"I understand," Lin said. "I will see what I can do."

Oswald nodded, giving Lin a grateful smile. "How is she?"

"According to this morning's check up, Ms. Taniyama is better," Lin answered. "Her condition is more stable now than last night."

Oswald nodded. "Will you be here the whole day?"

"No," Lin said. "I think Ms. Florence's fiancé will stay here later."

"I see," Oswald said. "I will also let Florence stay here to watch over her. Do tell me any change in her condition."

"I will," Lin said.

"I'll go ahead. We'll be returning uncle to the asylum today," Oswald said.

Lin nodded. "I hope everything goes well."

"Thank you, Mr. Lin," Oswald said bowing down at Lin.

Of all the clients in England that Oliver met, Oswald was the most humble and respectful. It was a shame that he had been a kin to one of the most dangerous men in Europe.

Oliver watched Oswald walk away.

"Good morning, Noll," Lin greeted looking at the door.

Oliver walked to the sofa bed and sat on it.

Lin opened the door and walked in. He offered the black bag to Oliver.

Oliver took it.

"Madoka told Luella and Martin that we left early for the check up," Lin said.

Oliver opened the bag and pulled out a set of clean clothes. He stood up and went into the bathroom to change into them.

"Mr. Mortimer wanted to pay for Taniyama-san's bills," Lin said taking a seat on the sofa. "He also apologized for what happened."

When Oliver walked out of the bathroom, he was wearing a grey turtleneck shirt, a pair of khaki pants and a pair of brown canvas slip-on Vans.

"Charge everything on my account," Oliver said putting his folded clothes into the bag.

Lin looked at him. "You're planning to ask him for something else."

Oliver picked the bag up and looked at Lin. "Have you set up an appointment for me?"

Lin nodded and stood up.


	41. Chapter 41

"Are you sure about this?" Luella asked.

It was eleven in the morning. Luella and Martin had just finished reviewing a set of resolved cases in the SPR office. They decided to discuss about Oliver's future for a change.

"I saw them, Luella," Martin said sitting on his office chair while Luella locked a pile of folders in the grey office drawer. "Ms. Hara and Oliver were in an embrace last night."

Luella sighed feeling unsure about the possibility of Oliver embracing a female other than her and Madoka. Well the only time Oliver hugged Madoka was when he was in kindergarten, when he tried to stop Madoka from attacking a bully in his school, so that might not count.

Oliver didn't like hugging people. His pride was too high to stoop down and embrace someone. He might let people hug him to save an important person's face. But he will never hug back...unless...

"Martin," Luella said taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of Martin's table. "Why don't we just let Noll propose to Ms. Hara? After all, you said they're a couple."

Martin shook his head. "You know Noll," he said. "He's too snobbish to do that."

"But if he is indeed in love with her, and he is indeed decided on being with her for the rest of his life, don't you think he would kneel down as well and beg for her hand in marriage?" Luella asked.

Martin sighed, looking away. "Luella, this is Noll we are talking about," he said. "He is not your average lad."

"I know," Luella said. "That is why I am asking you to let him do this on his own. He had always had his own method of doing things. And it has not failed him. Why would it fail him now?"

Martin looked at Luella. "And you agree on his method that seems to not involve introducing her to us, Luella?"

Luella rolled her eyes. "We arranged a marriage for him," she said. "He must have thought that we would doubt his love for her, if he introduced her to us while we are pushing him into marrying someone else!"

"He would have at least stood up for her," Martin said. "Ms. Hara satisfies the standards we have for Noll's wife!"

"The standards **you** set," Luella said glaring at her husband. "I told you I only approved of this engagement because I was hoping that it would do Noll well. But at this time, this engagement is doing him otherwise. He's stressed out, Martin. He's in the hospital right now!"

"Calm down, Luella," Martin said. "Noll said he just got tired. It was just the preparations for the banquet that exhausted him."

"And why **did** we involve Noll that much in the preparations?" Luella said. "Was it not partly because of the engagement? You didn't want him to go and meet Ms. Taniyama."

"Do not call her that," Martin said. "She's not educated."

"She graduated high school," Luella said. "That is enough for me."

"...Even for her to be your daughter-in-law? Luella! What would our grandchildren be?"

"People," Luella answered firmly. "Good people. Martin, it is not her fault if she was born poor. The fact that she struggled to finish her studies, at least in the level that barely anyone in her state did, must at the least tell you what kind of a person she is!"

"An opportunist," Martin finished. "She did not go to college because she wanted Noll to marry her – hence her trip here in England."

Luella frowned. "Again, Martin," she said. "You do not know that. For a scientist, you infer too much on evidences that you do not have."

"And do you have evidences up your sleeve that can make me believe otherwise?" Martin asked.

Luella sighed.

Martin reached out and touched Luella's hand. "Luella, you know I want nothing but a good future for Noll."

Luella looked up at Martin. "If Gene were here, would you have done the same?"

Martin sighed. "Yes."

Luella looked away. "Please think about this, Martin," she said. "Noll isn't an employee. And he is absolutely not some utensil." She looked at Martin and stood up. "He is our son, Martin."

Luella then walked out of the office leaving Martin sighing to himself.

* * *

><p>"Its exhaustion," the doctor told Lin and Oliver.<p>

Lin took Oliver to the Davis' family doctor to be checked. After an executive check up, the doctor gave them the results.

"You've been quite stressed lately," the doctor continued. "I suggest you get more rest, Dr. Davis. Perhaps take some time off from your work. I recommend that you take a two-week leave to be sure. And if you must work that much, do not forget to drink vitamins."

Oliver glared at the floor. He didn't like it when he was told to leave work. He would lose an excuse to get out of the house and see Mai.

"I will remind him to do so, doctor," Lin said smirking at Oliver.

Oliver felt it and glared at Lin.

The doctor chuckled.

"Thank you, doctor," Lin said smiling at the doctor.

"It's always an honour to be trusted by the Davis family," the doctor said. "You too, Mr. Lin. Don't stress yourself. You don't want to have trouble with having children after your marriage to Ms. Mori," he teased.

Oliver smirked at Lin who was at that moment...blushing.

"I will remind him to do so, doctor," Oliver said smirking slyly at Lin.

Lin frowned at Oliver.

They then left the clinic and decided to go to the university to file Oliver's 10-day leave from teaching.

"You've finished all the university's faculty requirements for this and the next month's deadline," Lin said driving the car with Oliver on the passenger seat. "And your students have enough projects and papers to write. No one can ever accuse you of being an irresponsible university faculty member."

"I care less of what kind of a faculty member I am," Oliver muttered looking out the window and watching the buildings that they were passing while driving down the road.

Lin smirked. "The doctor also wants to see how you're doing," he said. "He knows you're not the kind who likes to rest. To make sure you do what he advised you to do, he scheduled a check up – a **regular** one."

Oliver stared confused at Lin.

Then it clicked.

Oliver smirked. "I wonder if I also rub my intelligence off of my students," he said.

Lin sighed and shook his head.


	42. Chapter 42

"That was interesting, Ms. Hara," greeted a European scientist who attended the forum where Masako shared her knowledge as a medium. "I hope we see you in our forum tomorrow about exorcisms. Fr. John Brown from Japan will be discussing about how Catholic exorcism works for non-Catholic spirits in Japan. I think your insights will help us understand how it happens since you and Fr. Brown are from Japan."

Masako smiled. "Yes," she said. "I know him personally as well. I will be there."

"Thank you, Ms. Hara."

After shaking the scientist's hand, Masako walked away from the crowd of people staying outside the conference room.

She had just finished her discussion – her main contribution to the conference. She should have felt happy for the achievement but she felt sad.

Oliver wasn't there. He didn't attend her forum.

It had been a week since she heard the rumours about Oliver collapsing in the night of the banquet and being rushed to the hospital.

She had not seen Oliver since that banquet.

Masako sighed as she walked down the stairs of the university hall where the conference was held.

Oliver didn't attend the conference. His parents said that the doctor advised him to rest for two weeks – no teaching, no reading books, no attending conferences...he just had to relax by taking brief tours and a visit to the doctor for check up.

Masako stepped into the black Infiniti 8 that parked itself in front of the steps of the hall. "Hotel please," she told the driver.

The car drove out of the university.

Masako looked out the window.

Oliver was allowed to go out of the house.

Before her forum began, she was hoping that Oliver would bend the doctor's orders and try to attend the conference – at least just for her discussion.

She and Oliver after all were friends. Was she not entitled to such support?

But she didn't see Oliver. The guest list didn't have his name.

She didn't see him anywhere in the conference.

Masako sighed.

She was still invited to attend other forums. She couldn't just leave and fly back to Japan. She couldn't just lock herself in her room and cry over the heart that she had broken again upon realizing that Oliver wasn't there.

People would see her swollen eyes and gossip would start.

Masako pulled out her phone from the small purse she had carried in the conference.

She asked Prof. Davis for Oliver's number so she could check on him. Oliver's father seemed pleased with her. She knew then and there that calling off the engagement plans between Oliver and Charlotte would be a walk in the park.

Masako looked out the window.

But making Oliver love her...making him give her a chance to be closer to him would be next to impossible.

She saw a series of fruit stalls and gasped.

"STOP!"

* * *

><p>Oliver walked out of the door wearing his newsboy cap, grey overcoat, brown pants and black sneakers.<p>

It was cloudy and the news reports said there would be some rain showers later in the day.

Oliver walked out of the gate and rode a cab.

Masako saw the cab drive away from the gates of the Davis property. She also saw Oliver get in the cab before it left.

"Follow that cab," she told the driver as she gripped the handle of the basket of fruits in her hand tight.

She was planning to give Oliver a surprise visit. But upon seeing him go out and ride a cab, she felt like something was amiss, and that it was more important than personally wishing Oliver to get well soon.

Masako watched Oliver's cab drive through several streets. It didn't seem to notice that a car was following it.

After more than five minutes on the road, they reached a hospital.

Oliver got out the cab and walked into the hospital.

Masako watched Oliver walk past the reception desk.

If he was there for an appointment, was it really not necessary to inform the doctor that he was there, or ask the nurse about the doctor's whereabouts?

...Perhaps not. After all they consulted with a family doctor...

But from what she heard...the family doctor didn't work in that particular hospital.

"Wait for me," Masako told the driver.

The driver nodded.

Masako got out of the car with the basket of fruits and quickly followed Oliver. Unfortunately he had already disappeared in the elevator when she made it inside.

Masako felt like something was terribly wrong.

She went to the desk.

"Good morning," she greeted the blonde nurse in the station. "I'm here to see a relative of Dr. Oliver Davis."

"I'm sorry, Miss," the nurse replied. "I'm afraid we can't find a patient using the name of their relative. Can you perhaps try to remember the name of the patient?"

Masako thought hard.

Of course the hospital wouldn't be able to find the patient using the name of the relative. Otherwise, the credibility of the hospital would be mocked.

She needed a name. She needed something that would get her to know where Oliver went.

"He really loves Mai, doesn't he?" she heard someone say behind her.

She turned and saw a girl with red locks and a thin man with brown hair walking out of the hospital.

"You bet," the man said. "I heard they met in Japan two years ago..."

Masako froze.

...Mai. She felt like it would help her.

Masako turned to the nurse. "I understand. I'm not really familiar with her name yet because I'm not good with names," she said. "What about Mai...Mai Davis?" The name tasted bitter in her tongue. "My cousin, Oliver Davis, just got married to her so I'm not familiar with her middle name."

The nurse nodded, typing the name on her computer. "Let me check here," she said browsing through the records. "Oh yes, she's here," she said. "Mrs. Davis is on the fifth floor. She was just moved from the ICU to the normal private room this morning."

"Oh," Masako said suddenly feeling giddy and anxious. She squeezed the handle of the basket that she held. "That's a relief! I was really worried about her condition. I'm glad she's better."

"She's quite a miracle, actually," the nurse said. "That was one bloody accident she got into. I got a chance to attend to her last week. It was just awe striking to know that she survived the hell of that killer."

"Killer, yes," Masako said suddenly understanding why Oliver ran away from the banquet last night.

Something terrible happened...a killer...But was this Mai Davis really the person that Oliver was visiting in the hospital?

"That was horrible," Masako whispered more to herself than to the nurse.

"You said it," the nurse said. "I hope that bugger rots in jail. Anyway, her room number is 503."

"Thank you," Masako said. "Thank you so much for your help."

She then quickly walked to the elevator and shakily pressed the button for the fifth floor.


	43. Chapter 43

Masako took a deep breath.

Mrs. Davis...Was Oliver married? Was it Charlotte Weist?

No. Charlotte was in the conference.

Was it another woman? Someone he met in Japan...Was it at the same time that Masako met him?

Was that the reason behind his aversion to the engagement? Was that why he didn't want to give her a chance? Was that why he didn't want to give any girl a chance to be closer to him?

The elevator door opened and Masako stepped out. She shakily looked for room 503.

She stopped in front of the door and stared at the label beside it.

Room 503 : Mai Davis.

Masako felt like she was being strangled.

No...There was still a chance that she wasn't at all related to Oliver. After all, how many people with the surname Davis lived in London?

It could just be a coincidence.

She sighed and turned away from the door. It was a mistake. Mai Davis could not be related to Oliver.

But what if...what if she was related to him?

Masako glanced at the door again, gripping the handle of the basket tighter.

But what if she was wrong? It would be very disrespectful of her to barge into a stranger's room.

Masako felt more anxious and scared.

And what if she was right?

She winced.

Mai...Could Oliver really know someone named Mai? Could he have met a person named Mai in Japan two years ago?

Did he...did he...marry her?

Masako took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door knob. She stared at the name for a moment more.

She shut her eyes then turned the knob and pushed the door.

It didn't make a sound. But she suddenly heard a beeping sound - a beeping sound that paused for a second or so before each beep.

Masako slowly opened her eyes and froze.

The small space between the door and the frame that she made was enough for her to see Oliver lying on the bed.

He was on his side – his back toward the door and his lower body covered by a blanket. His arm lay over the torso of the unconscious patient who owned the room.

Masako gasped in shock. Tears quickly blurred her vision.

Oliver was sleeping peacefully beside a girl – a thin petite girl with brown hair who looked like she survived a horrifying accident. While Oliver's right arm reached over to the girl's left one across her covered torso, Oliver's left hand had its fingers twined with the girl's.

Oliver seemed too peacefully asleep to notice her presence.

Was it because of her? Was it because of this Mai...Da–

She couldn't even say her name with his last name.

Masako stared at the unconscious girl beside Oliver. A bandage hid most of her head. A narrow tube for oxygen went into her nose. A blanket covered her from the chest down. The hand that Oliver held had a dextrose tube. The other one had an IV.

But other than the helpless state that she was in, nothing was special about her. She wasn't beautiful. She wasn't curvy. She wasn't someone who could surpass Masako Hara in beauty.

But why did Oliver choose her? Why did Oliver marry her? What did she have that Masako Hara didn't?

"Hara-san..?"

Masako froze.

She knew that voice.

She slowly turned to see a towering man staring shocked at her.

"Lin-san," she weakly said.

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

><p><em>Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing Key, and for helping me resolve my dilemmas in writing this story. ^ <em>v 

_So I'm not going to end this with Chapter 40, as you already noticed, though I'm still scared at how the chapter dropdown for Key looks like when I check it. I personally think that it intimidates people from reading the story because it looks so long, haha! _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading these chapters I've uploaded. Do tell me what you think about them. Tah! _


	44. Chapter 44

_I have decided...To hell with the number of chapters in the dropdown, HAHAHAHAHA! Thank you all so much for the reading 'Key' and for helping me out with my dillemas. I also want to thank you all for the reviews you gave this story. It inspired me to twist things a little bit more here, haha! Hopefully you still enjoy this story. _

_So again, please read and review! Ghost Hunt is not mine. And remember...I LOVE YOU GUYS! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"How is the conference?" Yasuhara asked in Japanese, holding the phone against his ear.<p>

It was early in the morning and he had been checking the accounting notes for the bar's monthly profit. He decided to make an international call just to check how things were going in the other side of the globe.

"It's great," John answered in the same language holding the phone against his ear. It was night time and he had just arrived at the hotel from the dinner that the conference had set up for its participants. "Hara-san's forum about interacting with spirits of different nationality and culture was interesting and very helpful with understanding how exorcisms work. I've also given the documents to Dr. Davis."

"That's good," Yasuhara said smiling at nowhere. "Thank you so much for the help. I really wished I was there to at least attend Hara-san's forum."

John chuckled. "Well I think the Davis family will allow us to have a copy of the forums for academic purposes," he said. "That is with the consent of the speakers of course. And I heard Hara-san was willing to share her lecture. If I'm not mistaken, they will release a DVD compilation of the forums before the conference ends. I'm actually planning to buy one for myself. I can buy you a copy."

"That's great," Yasuhara said. "Thank you! Is it alright if I pay you for it when you get back?"

"Sure," John said. "No problem. By the way, Yasuhara-san..."

"Yes?"

"Have you heard anything from Dr. Davis?"

Yasuhara's face became serious. "Well he sent me an email with some instructions the other day," he said. "He didn't exactly tell me anything about how he is though. Why? Did something happen?"

"Well," John said thinking about whether he should tell Yasuhara about it.

Yasuhara laughed. "Don't worry, John-san," he said. "We're both friends with Dr. Davis. I don't think he would hate us if we talk about him. After all, we're not going to spread the news to anyone else unless it's highly necessary. And I'm very good at keeping secrets."

John chuckled. "Alright," he said sighing. "Professor Davis and his wife said that Dr. Davis is ill. He hasn't been attending any forum in the conference, you see. The last time I saw him was in the banquet that launched the conference."

"I see," Yasuhara said. "Did they say what kind of illness he had?"

"They said he was stressed," John said. "He fainted the night of the banquet. When I saw him though, he looked alright. I did however notice him somewhat running away from the balcony about an hour after we spoke. Hara-san was running close behind him. That was the last time I saw him."

"Hm," Yasuhara said holding his chin in thought. "That's odd."

"You said his girlfriend is here in London, correct?" John asked.

"Yes," Yasuhara said. "Taniyama Mai is there. I believe she works as a maid somewhere in London. Dr. Davis let us talk to her once. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we last spoke to her. It's quite difficult to agree on a time when we could call her. Do you think she's involved in this?"

"I'm not exactly sure," John said. "But there are rumours about Dr. Davis being engaged with the daughter of the Science Minister here."

"WHAT?" Yasuhara exclaimed.

"Dr. Davis claimed that they were merely rumours," John said. "However, I did see him speaking with the Science Minister's daughter in the banquet. And she was...quite intimate with him."

Yasuhara eyed the screen of his computer.

After checking the accounting notes, he went on to do what Naru asked him to do.

"Dr. Davis' parents," Yasuhara said. "What are their opinions on the matter?"

"Mrs. Davis doesn't talk about it much," John said. "But Professor Davis seems to be okay with the rumours if ever they were true."

Yasuhara sighed and smirked at the forms that he had been filling up in accordance to Naru's requests. "I didn't know Dr. Davis had a romantic side," he muttered.

"I'm sorry?" John asked in confusion.

"I don't think his parents know about Mai," Yasuhara said.

"I can't exactly blame Dr. Davis if that is true," John said. "He is not just any person after all. And I believe his father expects quite a lot from him. But I don't think he's doing this because he's afraid of what he will lose from his parents. He had always been the more deviant son. At least that was what Gene told me."

"Well, he ran away to Japan without anyone's consent to get Gene," Yasuhara said. "So I guess that's true. And about the reason why he's not telling his parents about Mai, I believe you. Otherwise, he wouldn't be asking me to look for a house."

John gasped. "Oh dear," he said. "Is he planning on eloping with Taniyama-san?"

"I don't really know," Yasuhara said smiling again. "You did mention that he's planning on setting up a branch of SPR here in Japan, right?"

"Yes, but...a house?" John asked. "Oh well. I don't think it would be that easy to get Taniyama-san out of the country. After all, you said she got there illegally, right?"

"Yup," Yasuhara answered. "However, this is Dr. Davis we're talking about."

John chuckled. "You're right. I do hope everything works out for them."

"Me too," Yasuhara said. "Say, John-san..?"

"Yes?"

"If ever they do elope," Yasuhara began. "Would you be willing to marry them?"


	45. Chapter 45

"How is she?" Oliver asked his reflection as he stood in the dark void.

He had no idea how he got there. All he knew was that he needed to talk to his reflection, who was at that moment smiling too happily at him.

"She's recovering," his reflection said.

Oliver glared at him. "What's with that smile on your face?"

His reflection chuckled. "I know what you're doing," he said.

Oliver raised a brow.

"You're such a pervert, aren't you? Just because she's sleeping..."

Oliver felt his cheeks burn. "What are you talking about?"

His reflection burst into laughter. "Oh Noll," he said. "I know you're sleeping beside her right now."

Oliver stiffened.

His reflection smirked. "I know you have your arm over her chest," he continued. "And I know that you're holding her hand."

Oliver glared at his reflection. "Shut up, Gene."

Gene laughed louder. "You should see your face right now," he said. "You are absolutely hilarious!"

Oliver sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're starting to make me think that you're really better off dead."

Gene glared at Oliver – his lips unconsciously pouting. "Hey! That's below the belt, idiot scientist."

Oliver smirked. "You started it, idiot."

Gene laughed.

"So when will she wake up?" Oliver asked.

Gene rolled his eyes. "I thought the doctor already told you."

Oliver glared at Gene. "Well you know how her consciousness is doing – something the doctor doesn't know."

"I can't give you a specific time," Gene said. "After all, time no longer exists here. But I believe she will wake up once her body is better – which would likely happen in the date that the doctor told you."

"That's too long," Oliver said, frowning at his twin.

"Noll – always the impatient one," Gene muttered, snickering.

"That's why I'm Noll and you're Gene," Oliver said.

Gene chuckled. "Fine," he said. "Mai sleeping this long has its advantages though, yes?"

Oliver raised a brow at Gene.

"Well," Gene began smirking at Oliver. "You get to be intimate with her without being slapped on the face."

Oliver felt his cheeks burn again.

"You can hug her and kiss her, and hold her hand, and maybe even..."

"Cut it out, Gene!"

Gene laughed. "You know I'm right though! So what were her lips like? You tried to revive her, correct?"

Oliver glared at Gene. "One more word and I swear I will blast you to wherever dead people are supposed to go to."

"You won't do that though," Gene said waving an index finger at Oliver. "After all, I'm the only one who can tell you how she is doing."

Oliver sighed. "Can you still talk to her?"

"A little," Gene said. "It's quite harder now to tell you the truth." He then looked up. "I think someone needs you out there."

Oliver sighed heavily. "Fine," he said. "Get me out of here."

Gene chuckled and pushed Oliver – hard.

Oliver leaned back in shock – falling into the void.

Gene laughed. "I've been dreaming about doing that to him for a long time," he said smiling at Oliver's fear-stricken face.

* * *

><p>"oll...oll...Noll..."<p>

Oliver opened his eyes.

He saw Mai's tranquil face. She was still sleeping.

"Noll," Lin said tapping Oliver's shoulder.

Oliver turned to look at Lin and stretched his arms. "What time is it?"

"Too early to wake you," Lin answered. "But we have a problem."

Oliver yawned and slowly sat up. "Where are Jimmy and Margaret?" he asked noticing the empty space on the sofa across the bed.

"They already left," Lin answered. "They said they'll be back later with Florence."

Oliver nodded. He looked at Mai again and gently lifted a stray lock of hair from Mai's closed eyelids. "What's the problem?'"

"By the door," Lin coughed, looking away.

Oliver looked up at Lin, raising a brow at him before looking at the door.

He froze.

"Hara-san," he said.

Masako stood near the closed door, clad in a spring-patterned red kimono. She shyly looked up at him – eyes moist and cheeks blushing. "Hello," she weakly said. She held a basket of fruits.

Oliver looked up at Lin again.

"I saw her in the hallway," he said. "She had already opened the door."

Oliver sighed glaring at the floor. He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed Mai's hand before looking up at Masako.

"Have a seat, Hara-san," Oliver said.

Masako nodded and sat on the sofa bed.

"I'll just get you some tea," Lin said quickly walking out to avoid any objection from the two.

* * *

><p>"GENE!" Mai cried out seeing Gene being strangled by Elbert Norringbent.<p>

She was standing in a room that she wasn't familiar to.

It was vast. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. The pieces of furniture were more extravagant than what she cleaned and polished in the mansion.

"Put him down!" She screamed. "Please put him down!"

She suddenly saw Elbert flying across the room – away from Gene and hitting the wall.

Gene fell on the floor coughing and holding his neck.

"Gene!" she heard Naru call as he rushed to Gene's side.

Mai gasped.

Why didn't she realize it earlier?

The Gene and Naru she was seeing was younger...so much younger than the Gene and Naru she knew.

"I'm okay," Gene said.

A towering man came running toward them as well. He stood in front of them and faced Norringbent defensively.

Norringbent screamed. It echoed around the room – a deafening shriek that seemed to be made with a combination of different voices.

A dark cloud slowly crept out from his skin. It was then that Mai noticed how unworldly his face was.

It was purple with lines and creases that made him look like a monster. His red eyes were deep. Around them was a deep shade of black.

Black liquid flowed out from his mouth.

Suddenly the black cloud was in front of the tall man. She heard a high-pitched whistle and noticed a group of white lights rushing toward the black cloud.

Another deafening shriek echoed in the room as the white lights pushed the black cloud back.

"Let's go," the tall man said quickly lifting Gene from the ground.

The three of them – the tall man, Gene, and Naru – ran out of the room and locked the door. They then ran toward another room in the house.


	46. Chapter 46

Mai found herself inside another room. It had shelves of monitor screens, a set of gadget controls and a computer. It also had a set of sofas arranged around a glass centre table.

"What the bloody hell happened back there?" Naru asked in a slightly pitchy voice as he stood glaring at Gene, who was seated on one of the sofas and holding his sore neck.

"I'm sorry," Gene said weakly as the tall man prepared a hot compress in another corner of the room that looked like a makeshift kitchen. "I was recording the temperature of the room when I saw a girl sitting in a corner – crying."

"Idiot," Naru muttered. "You know this place is haunted by spirits of girls."

"I only wanted to help her," Gene defended. "She was crying...suffering..."

"They are all suffering," Naru snapped. "And they are all trying to kill us!"

"I'm sorry," Gene said as the tall man held the hot compress against Gene's throat. "I know I was wrong okay?"

Naru shook his head. "You won't do this again," he said glaring darkly at Gene.

Gene sighed. "I won't," he said taking the hot compress from the tall man. "Thanks, Lin," he told the man.

The tall man, or Lin, nodded. He then walked toward the nearby computer and began typing.

Naru looked at the door. "Lin," he said eyeing the door. It had paper charms on it. It was then that Mai noticed how the walls of the room were also decorated with paper charms. "How long does it take for your shikis to be good to go again?"

"Five hours," Lin answered. "I still have two shikis on reserve."

Gene looked at Lin. "The cloud wasn't that destructive?" he asked.

"No," Naru answered walking toward the pile of folders on the centre table. "Lin used three shikis back there. The damage to a shiki was distributed to the three of them. And they only pushed the spirit away. It didn't exactly paralyze it."

Gene sighed. "I don't get it," he said. "The spirits were freed. We were able to take the block off the passageway. Yet they're still here. The one in Mr. Norringbent's body is still here!"

Naru walked toward the centre table and began to read through the pile of folders on it. After a moment or two, he looked up at Gene and Lin. "We're done here," he said.

Lin and Gene stared confused at Naru.

"What..?" Gene asked.

"Let's pack up," Naru said closing the folder in his hands and taking the pile of folders into a bag.

"Wait! We can't just leave," Gene said standing up and holding Naru's arm with his free hand. "The spirits are still here! Those girls! Those women..."

Mai sighed and shook her head. Naru had always been a jerk, huh?

"...Are not planning on moving on anytime soon," Naru finished looking at Gene.

Gene stiffened.

Mai froze.

"You saw their tears," Naru said. "You learned that they were false."

"But Noll–"

"Norringbent is possessed by a demon that has killed five priests in the process of five separate exorcisms," Naru said. "This demon helped Norringbent kill those people. And the souls of the people he killed are now this demon's own set of familiars – Norringbent's shikis."

Gene and Lin froze.

Mai stared confused at Naru. Shikis? Familiars?

"The girl was a lure," Naru said. "...A bait. This demon didn't make Norringbent kill brown-haired girls. Belial made him kill mediums and people with psychic abilities that just so happened to be females with brown hair."

Mai scowled. And who on earth was this 'Belial'?

Gene shook his head. "...But...Those memories... Are you saying that I saw it wrong?"

"No," Naru said.

"Then how do you explain those?"

Naru sighed. "Lin, did you read the results of the test that I asked you to do?"

"Yes," Lin said.

"What test?" Gene asked.

"I secretly took a sample of Norringbent and Mr. Mortimer's hair," he said. "I asked Lin to take it to a laboratory for a DNA test."

"But they're related," Gene said. "Mr. Mortimer already said that he is Mr. Norringbent's–"

"...Son?" Naru asked.

"WHAT..?" Gene exclaimed.

Mai gasped in shock. Master Mortimer was Master Norringbent's son? But why would Master Mortimer deny his own father?

Gene looked at Lin.

Lin turned to look back at Gene. "The tests showed that Mr. Norringbent is Mr. Mortimer's father."

"But...But that's..."

"Incest, yes," Naru said taking a seat across Gene.

Mai stared shocked at Naru. These were family secrets she didn't think she should know.

Gene sat down again.

"I did some research on Norringbent's past," Naru began. "Remember the vision I told you when I held the heirloom that Norringbent gave Mr. Mortimer?"

"His ring, yes," Gene said. "You said there was something wrong with it though you did confirm that Mr. Mortimer's mother gave it to him when they were children."

Naru nodded. "Norringbent was disowned for raping his own sister."

Gene and Lin stiffened.

Mai covered her ears in shame. This was too much...Too much! For some reason the word 'raping' seemed to bring back memories that gave her chills.

"When his sister gave him the ring, she was six and he was ten," Naru said. "Remember how Mr. Mortimer said Norringbent grew up in the slums?"

"Yes," Gene answered, nodding.

"I've pinpointed the location of the slum area," Naru said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't a good place for a psychic medium to grow up in."

"Norringbent is a medium," Lin gasped.

Gene stared shocked at Naru.

Mai dropped her hands in awe. Master Norringbent was a psychic?

"I found information about Norringbent being alienated as a child for talking to people who didn't exist," Naru said. "He didn't call them imaginary friends. He called them by different names – each with different personalities and appearance - at least in his eyes."

"And the area where he met them," Gene said.

"Is regarded as a place where a lot of crimes happened – theft, murder, rape," Naru said. "Without a guide to explain what he was seeing and having people including his own parents, calling him insane, he was a goner."

Gene winced and looked sadly away.

Mai hugged herself, feeling a need to cry. Did Master Norringbent had dreams similar to hers? Even at an early age?

"I've read a news report about an incestuous rape-slay incident in the area that happened along the time of his childhood," Naru said.

Gene sighed and covered his face.

Lin stood up and walked to Gene. He lightly patted Gene's head.

Gene looked up at him – tears streaming down his eyes. He quickly hugged Lin and quietly sobbed against the man's white polo shirt.

Mai watched them. Whoever this 'Lin' was seemed to be a caring person.

Naru sighed and looked away. "Shall I continue?" he asked.

Mai stared surprised at Naru and saw sadness in his eyes. She smiled.

His eyes always gave him away.

"Yes," Gene said in a voice muffled by Lin's polo shirt.

Naru nodded. "He loved his sister because she didn't judge him like other people did. He thought it was a way to express that love," he said. "You pretty much know what happened."

Mai winced. She shook her head in an attempt to forget about the memory that was forcing itself into her train of thought.

"Of course, they were already in their teen years when it happened," Naru continued. "To hide the incident, his sister was forced by their parents to marry another man. The man accepted his sister and her child. Norringbent learned about this and murdered his sister's husband. Of course he made it look like an accident so his sister wouldn't hate him."

Mai sighed sadly. Master Norringbent just didn't want to lose his family.

"When did Belial possess him?" Lin asked.

"There were rumours about him using witchcraft," Naru said looking at Lin. "Knowing about his psychic ability however, I say he most likely just used his ability as a medium to do what he wanted to do. He must have summoned Belial by accident along the way."

"And he embraced him," Lin said.

Naru nodded. "Perhaps he was still young when it happened. He didn't know it was wrong. Now, his unconscious mind no longer identifies Belial as a separate identity," he said. "His acceptance of being one with him is stopping any exorcism ritual from pulling Belial away from him."

Gene looked up at Naru, wiping his tears away. "How...can we free them..? How can we save them?"

Naru sighed. "We can only resort to the simplest purification ritual – purification by fire," he said. "...Though I doubt that Belial would die from that. He might just return to hell or possess someone else. He's a demon after all."

Gene nodded.

Mai covered her mouth from screaming. Purification by fire? Did they mean burn Master Norringbent?

"Should we tell Mr. Mortimer everything?" Lin asked Naru.


	47. Chapter 47

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Key.' And I'm glad the twists didn't dissuade you from wanting to read more of what's going to happen next. _

_So here are another set of chapters. Hope you enjoy them too! (Please read and review, hehe) Ghost Hunt is not mine_

* * *

><p>"How did you get to this room," Oliver asked looking apathetically at Masako. In truth however, he wanted to snap at her. But it wasn't something a man of good breeding and great intellect such as Oliver Davis would do.<p>

He decided to sit on the chair beside Mai's bed when Lin left to fix them some tea. He knew of course that it was Lin's way of avoiding any possible involvement to what was about to happen.

"It was just a wild guess," Masako said shyly looking down the clasped hands on her lap.

Oliver had taken the basket of fruits from Masako and placed it on a table near Mai's bed before he took his seat.

"I was planning on visiting you since they said you were sick," Masako continued. "I bought those fruits for you."

"Thank you," Oliver said more in courtesy than in gratitude.

Masako nodded.

"So you went to the house," Oliver said, trying not to sound impatient.

Masako nodded. "I saw you walking out of the house," she said. "I was about to get out of the car and talk to you but you rode a cab. I was curious so I asked the driver to follow your cab."

"You got here to the hospital," Oliver said, trying not to tap his feet on the floor.

"Yes," Masako answered. "I lost you in the main hall. I didn't know where you went. So I asked a nurse."

"And she gave you this room?" Oliver asked obviously unimpressed.

Masako looked up frowning. "No," she said. "She said she needed a patient's name. I know this sounds odd but I heard two people walking out the hospital talking about someone named 'Mai' who someone met two years ago in Japan and...I just...I just guessed."

"You're lucky at guessing then," Oliver said trying hard not to glare at her...and trying hard not to think about scolding Margaret and Jimmy who were surely the gossipers that dropped the unlikely hint on Masako.

Masako sighed and looked away. "Look, I know it was unladylike," she said. "But I...I was just curious. Your parents didn't tell anyone much about your condition. And you went to a hospital where your family doctor doesn't work in."

"You know about our family doctor," Oliver said raising a brow at Masako.

Masako's cheeks flushed. "The Professor is very friendly," she said.

Oliver sighed. He knew it had something to do with what his father saw in the balcony that banquet night.

Great. Just great.

Masako took a deep breath, thinking of what she should do. She wanted to know about the unconsious girl beside Oliver and everything that was between the girl and Dr. Davis.

"What are you planning to do now?"Oliver asked monotonously

Masako wanted to shrink. What did she plan to do? Knowing that Oliver seemed to sneak out of the house earlier..."You didn't tell your parents about this," she said. "You're not really sick."

"I thought my parents told you that our family doctor had certified my condition," he said – his eyes narrowing at Masako.

If he had to scare her to death to keep Mai safe, he would do it.

Masako bit her lips. "But you're here," she said.

"I'm in the hospital," he said.

"You're with another woman!" Masako said looking at Oliver.

"I'm with Mai," Oliver said apathetically. "I see no reason for you to use the term 'another woman.'"

Masako looked away. Oliver called the girl by her first name. He called that girl by her first name.

"You call her by her first name," she said. "She's the reason why you didn't like the engagement, and why you didn't accept my offer to be closer to you."

Oliver didn't answer. He just kept his eyes on her.

"What...What does she have that I don't?" Masako asked - her vision starting to blur a little.

Again, Oliver didn't answer.

It was absurd to discuss it.

Masako looked up at Oliver. "Am I not beautiful?" she asked.

Oliver once again just held his tongue from giving a nasty retort.

It was pointless to stoop that low.

"Am I not good enough?" Masako asked – eyes moist and pleading.

"Hara-san," Oliver began.

Masako winced. It felt like a knife had just slit her chest open.

"I respect you," Oliver continued. "Don't make me lose that respect that I have for you."

Masako covered her face with her hands.

Oliver looked away and sighed. "I'll just check on Lin's tea," Oliver said standing up from his seat. He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him hearing Masako's sobs.

He leaned on the door in deep thought.

"She's crying," Lin said suddenly standing in the hall with a cup of tea from the cafeteria.

Oliver nodded.

Lin sighed. "I'll just give her this tea."

Oliver stood away from the door and let Lin enter the room. Lin closed the door behind him.

Oliver sighed and stared at the label near the door.

Room 503: Mai Davis

He liked how it sounded.

He had no idea Lin registered Mai in the hospital with Taniyama as a middle name and his last name as her surname. Perhaps it was because of Mai's papers...or to make sure that the doctors would attend to her needs since she was married to a Brit.

And his parents knew Mai as a Taniyama. They wouldn't think about her being a Davis...at least not yet. So it was also a way for them to make sure that his parents wouldn't find out about her.

Oliver sighed.

He wanted to tell his parents about Mai. He wanted to tell them about how Mai saved his life. He wanted to tell them how she changed his view of his own life.

He wanted to tell Professor Davis that his assumptions were wrong. He wanted to tell his mother that Mai would be a great daughter.

But it wasn't that easy.

His parents weren't the only ones who would judge Mai wrongly. And even if he fought all of them and defended Mai, he knew he would lose her...again...

Oliver leaned on the wall beside the door.

Sometimes he wished that he was just Shibuya Kazuya – the tourist, the waiter, the kitchen helper, the sewer, the helper in the fish stall, the assistant bartender...

...Things would have been better.

He would be able to spend his life with anyone he wanted without worrying about how people would force her to leave him. He wouldn't worry about Mai sacrificing her happiness to save him from the humiliation that idiots would throw against him.

But would he have met Mai if he didn't become a Davis?

Oliver looked at the door.

Things happen for a reason – that was what Gene always said.

* * *

><p>"Madoka, did you see Noll?" Luella asked.<p>

Luella went home from the conference because she forgot a file about an SPR case. She needed it for a discussion in a forum that day. She figured she should check on Oliver as well after getting the file she needed. From what she remembered, Oliver wasn't supposed to get out of the house that day.


	48. Chapter 48

Madoka smiled at Luella.

'Madoka, did you see Noll?' was officially the question she dreaded the most.

"He went out to get some fresh air with Lin," Madoka answered. Of course she knew where he **really **was.

"Oh," Luella said. "How is he?"

"He's better," Madoka said. "Though he is a tad bit grumpy because he can't go to work."

Luella chuckled. "I guess that's why he's always away," she said.

Madoka stiffened. "He's always away," she muttered.

"Yes," Luella said. "The maids said he usually went out of the house and rode a cab somewhere. I was actually worried about this habit that he's having. I don't want him to tire himself and end up fainting somewhere."

"Oh," Madoka said acting sympathetically toward Luella.

At the back of her head however, she was already thinking about how she should bribe the maids.

Since the doctor wanted Oliver to rest, it would be odd for Oliver to go out on a tour every day.

"Do you know where he goes to?" Luella asked.

"Well from what I know," Madoka said thinking hard on what to tell Luella. She can't tell her she doesn't know because Luella would panic. "He goes to the library. You know how he is."

Luella laughed. "You're right," she said. "He would read books if he can't work."

"I know Lin took him to the park today," Madoka said. "We figured too much reading would stress Oliver out."

Luella nodded. "That's good," she said. "Thank you so much for minding Noll."

"Oh Noll is like our little brother, Luella," Madoka said.

"We're really very lucky to have you in the family," Luella said smiling sweetly at her.

Madoka tried to keep her smile up.

...If they only knew...

* * *

><p>"Hara-san," Lin said taking a seat next to Masako.<p>

Masako looked up at him, wiping her tears.

"Please drink this," he said handing her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," she said holding the cup and taking a sip of the tea.

Lin sighed watching how swollen Masako's eyes were. "Dr. Davis is not that comfortable with expressing himself," he said.

Masako looked up at Lin and smiled. "Yes, he is quite challenged in that area," Masako said.

Lin nodded and looked at Mai.

He had to admit that he was amazed at Mai's recovery. The doctors themselves thought it was a miracle. They said that Mai was one tough girl.

Perhaps that was why Oliver acted that way. Oliver had met his match.

Masako looked away and sighed. "I always thought that I had the advantage," Masako said.

Lin looked at Masako.

Masako stared at the cup of tea in her hand. "I'm a medium," she said. "Just like his twin brother, Eugene Davis. I thought he would be more comfortable with someone who also has psychic abilities like him and his brother." She then looked at Mai. "I guess I was wrong."

Lin looked at Mai.

Masako wasn't the only one who thought that things would happen that way.

Lin and Madoka also thought that Oliver would fall for someone with psychic abilities – someone he would be able to relate his visions and experiences with.

Despite meeting so many people in school, Oliver devoted all his free time to his brother Gene. While Gene mingled with friends, Oliver stood silent beside him. While Gene flirted back with fan girls, Oliver sat beside him reading a book.

The mere presence of Gene seemed to make Oliver feel contentment.

At first they thought that it was caused by Gene and Oliver being twins. But when they made Oliver interact with others without Gene nearby, they found out that it had something to do with how Oliver felt comfortable with opening himself to someone.

Oliver was able to work and excel in groups like Gene did. But he maintained his distance from the groups after the task was done. He responded to their queries and helped them, but he rarely initiated conversations. And he never disclosed information about himself – his childhood, his hobbies, his feelings.

He only disclosed those things to Gene.

It stayed that way even when Oliver and Gene academically parted ways. It was at that point that people who envied and felt bitterness against Oliver made rumours that he and his twin were incestuous homosexual lovers. Add to that his study about Gene as a perfect medium.

He just hasn't found someone he could relate well with – that was what Gene told them whenever they discussed the rumour.

They figured that since Oliver seemed to 'relate well' with Gene, whoever he would fall for would be like Gene – a medium whom he would feel comfortable sharing his visions with, which was something Oliver frequently did with Gene.

Lin recalled how panic-stricken Oliver's face was when they got to the mansion and realized that Mai was locked inside a room with Norringbent.

He thought Oliver was haunted by the image of Norringbent strangling Gene that night.

Lin froze.

Norringbent tried to kill Gene.

Norringbent also tried to kill Mai.

What was it that they realized about Norringbent?

Masako sighed. "I'll be going now," she said standing up from her seat and giving the cup back to Lin. "Thank you for the tea."

Lin took the cup and stood up.

"Please keep the fruits," Masako said. "I hope she gets well soon."

Lin nodded. "Thank you."

Masako took one last look at Mai before she walked to the door.

Lin let her out.

After bidding Oliver goodbye, Masako walked away from room 503.

Oliver walked back into the room. He was about to climb up the bed and go back to sleep when he heard Lin say, "Noll." He stopped but didn't look at Lin.

"We need to talk," Lin continued.

Oliver looked up at Lin, raising a brow.

"Norringbent tried to kill Taniyama-san," Lin said.

Oliver kept his confused stare at Lin.

"He tried to kill her just like how he tried to kill Gene," Lin said.

Oliver froze.

Lin finally realized it.

Oliver sighed and looked at Mai. "Promise me you won't tell my parents about this," he said. "At least, not yet..."

* * *

><p>Mai found herself in front of a small brick house – most likely still somewhere in England.<p>

The sky was grey and gloomy. The house seemed a little old and worn but the drapes on the windows told her that people lived there. The house also had an old wooden fence around it.

Mai sighed wondering why she was there.

"Why are you here?" Mai heard a woman ask in a hushed tone.


	49. Chapter 49

She turned to see who it was and saw a woman with brown hair tied up in a bun, standing near the open gate and facing a tall man wearing a black overcoat. His head was covered by a black hat.

The woman was wiping her hand on the apron over her dress.

She must have been whipping something up from the kitchen when she went out to answer the door.

"You shouldn't be here," the woman said. "They might see you and hurt you!"

The man looked sadly at the woman. "I...I needed to see you," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The woman sighed. "That's enough," she said. "We've been through this, Elbert."

Mai stiffened. Elbert..?

"I know," Elbert said – tears streaming down his face as he looked down at his worn boots.

The woman smiled and shook her head. She wiped his tears with her thumb. "Hush now," she said. "You've always been such a baby. I've always wondered why you were my older brother when I was always the one who had to comfort you like this."

Elbert smiled. "You...You forgive me..?"

"Haven't I already told you that I have?" the woman asked smiling sweetly at Elbert.

"How..? How could you forgive me? I did a dreadful thing," Elbert said.

The woman held his face in her two hands. "Because you are my brother," the woman said. "And I love my brother."

Elbert burst into tears. "You shouldn't love me," he said. "I can't love you the way you love me. You know that."

The woman sighed. "I know," she said. "I admit that it hurt me. But I had to admit that I'm happy with what I received after that. You gave me a wonderful son."

Elbert stared surprised at the woman. "A son..?"

The woman nodded and smiled sweetly at him. "Do you want to hold him?" she said, inviting Elbert inside the house.

Mai then heard a baby crying behind her. She turned around and found herself inside a room with a baby cradle.

Elbert and the woman were there. The woman was lifting the crying baby in her arms and handing the baby to Elbert.

"I...I might..." Mai heard Elbert say. She noticed how frightened he was.

The woman laughed. "He is your son," the woman said. "You will know how to hold him."

Elbert sighed and carefully held the baby in his hands.

The baby stopped crying. It stared at Elbert's face.

Mai saw tears slide down Elbert's cheeks.

"He is...He is so beautiful," he said smiling happily at the baby in his arms. "You look so much like your mother!"

The woman smiled. "That means he has your nose," she said.

Elbert looked confused at the woman.

"Have you forgotten that we share mother's nose?" the woman asked.

Elbert chuckled. "You're right," he said before turning to look at the baby again. He touched the baby's supple cheeks.

The baby smiled – his round brown eyes smiling with his lips.

"He is marvellous," Elbert said. "Can I kiss him?" he asked the woman.

The woman nodded. "He is your son."

Elbert smiled and kissed the baby's cheeks, earning him a giggle from the baby. He also kissed the baby's forehead, nose, and chin.

"What is his name?" Elbert asked the woman.

The woman shrugged. "We have not filed the papers for his birth certificate," she said. "We are still paying some bills in the hospital."

Elbert sighed. "How...How is he taking him?"

The woman smiled. "He was so happy when he first held him," she said. "He really felt like he is our son's father. And he is still the one waking up at night when the baby cries for milk. He loves the baby."

Elbert looked down at the baby. "Has he...Has he touched you?"

The woman shook her head. "He respects me," she said. "He wants me to feel comfortable with what we have."

Elbert held the baby's hand in his. "And...How is he taking me?"

"He wants to see you," the woman answered. "He has been longing to see you again. You know he treats you like his older brother. And he respects you as the baby's father, and as my brother."

Elbert sighed. "I am a monster," he said.

"He hated you at first, yes," the woman said. "But he does not hate you anymore. He is happy to meet our child."

Elbert kissed his cheek. "So what name are you planning to give him?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I was hoping you would be able to help us with that," she said smiling at Elbert.

Elbert's eyes went wide. "Me..?"

"You are his father," the woman said. "You have as much right as I to give him a name. Besides, you have always been the creative one between us."

Elbert looked down at the baby. "I will name him," he said trying to accept the chance that she was giving him.

"Yes," the woman said. "So what name will you give him?

"Oswald," Elbert said gently tracing circles on th baby's cheek with the tip of his thumb. "It means 'God's power.' He will grow to be a good man."

"Oswald," Mai heard a man say from the other part of the room. She turned to see another man smiling kindly at Elbert and the woman. "I like it," the man said.

Elbert stared anxiously at the man.

"You are home," the woman cheerfully told the man.

The man chuckled. "I am sorry I did not knock," he said. "I figured it would be disrespectful."

"None sense," the woman said opening her arms to welcome him.

The man embraced her before looking at Elbert. "It has been a while," he said. "How are you?"

"I am good," he stiffly said.

The woman sighed. "Oswald and I will go fix dinner," she said taking the baby from Elbert. She then walked out of the room.

Elbert looked away from the man.

The man looked at the empty cradle.

"I love her," the man said.

Elbert looked at him.

"So it pained me when I heard what happened," the man said. "But you have been a great brother to me. I just could not believe that it happened until I noticed that her stomach was getting bigger."

Elbert didn't know what to say.

"I wanted to hit you," he said. "I wanted to hurt you. But she...she did not hate you. And I realized that she did not think it was you who did it. She believed, just like I did, that you could never do it. Yet we both knew that it happened."

Elbert looked away. "I did it," he said. "I am in love with her. I am a monster."

The man looked at Elbert. "You did not want to do it," he said.

"NO!" Elbert yelled. He stared at the man. "I wanted to do it. I did it!"

The man sighed and shook his head. "Whatever made you do it was not you," the man said. He then patted Elbert's shoulder. "Stay for dinner," he said smiling at him. "We missed you. And I am sure Oswald would be happy to have you here with us."

Mai smiled. It was a horrible setup...but it seemed as if everything was in the right place.


	50. Chapter 50

Lin sat shocked on the sofa

Oliver stared at him from his seat beside Mai. Seeing Lin wouldn't be changing his facial expression for a while, he turned to look at Mai and squeezed her hand.

He held Mai's hand the whole time he told Lin about the possibility of Mai having psychic abilities. Of course he had to run tests first to confirm it, though the mere fact that Norringbent attacked her already made Oliver believe that she had ESP.

He could still recall the information he found about Norringbent's victims. Many of them were potential mediums based on the interviews that he got from the victims' family and friends. Some were paranormally sensitive having experiences with feeling or seeing ghosts.

The fact that most of them had brown hair, and that only the brown-haired victims were raped, was an indication of Norringbent's consciousness being twisted by the demon possessing him.

Norringbent's sister – Oswald's mother – had brown hair.

Oliver sighed as he watched Mai sleep.

He told Lin about the dreams that Mai had according to Florence. He also told him about Mai's encounter with the girl named Lyra in the Norringbent mansion's kitchen.

Of course Lin wasn't that dense. He asked if Oliver knew about Mai's abilities even before that night since he noticed how bothered Oliver was ever since he met her again.

Oliver later ended up telling Lin about how he found Gene.

Lin looked up at Oliver. "You're sure she never met Gene before?" he asked.

Oliver glared at Lin. "Are you telling me I'm stupid?"

"No! No...I..." Lin shook his head. "I just can't believe it."

"Perhaps now you know why I can't confide everything to everyone," Oliver said turning away from Lin to look at Mai once more.

Lin sighed. "The professor might change his mind about her if he knew about this."

Oliver smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

Lin stiffened.

The professor was as stubborn as Oliver. He would most likely find a way to prove that Mai was bad for his son. And if he knew about Gene, he might put Mai under investigation in the police. After all, they haven't found his murderer. Since Mai knew where Gene's body was, the professor might suspect that she was involved in Gene's death.

But if they run tests on Mai and they prove that she was paranormally sensitive, perhaps that might change!

"Why do you think someone like her would help me?" Oliver asked still looking at Mai.

Lin stared confused at Oliver.

"She doesn't know me," he said. "I'm a stranger to her. All she knew was that I came from England. Years after she helped me, I meet her here. I care for her. Why do you think I'm caring for her? I've never cared for anyone other than my family."

Lin looked away.

Oliver was right. Mai would seem like an opportunist and Oliver someone trying to return what he owed her.

"If you explained," Lin said. But he couldn't find the words to make it a complete sentence.

"No," Oliver said. "...If I proved."

Lin looked shocked at Oliver. "What are you planning to do?"

Oliver didn't answer. He just traced small circles around Mai's cheek using the tip of his fingers.

"Can I sleep now?" he asked, glancing at Lin.

Lin sighed and nodded.

He would just have to be more vigilant with Oliver.

Oliver climbed up the bed and took his place beside Mai. He once again wrapped one arm over her sleeping form, and twined his fingers with hers.

After making sure that Oliver was asleep, Lin stood up and lifted the blanket up to cover Oliver's shoulders.

* * *

><p>"You are pregnant?" Mai heard Elbert exclaim from behind her.<p>

She turned around and found herself in a meadow.

The brown-haired woman sat down on a blanket with a young boy sleeping deeply on her lap. Elbert was standing a few feet away, glaring at the woman.

"He is stealing your family," Mai heard an eerie high-pitched voice whisper.

Mai cringed. It sounded like the voice she heard in the Norringbent mansion hallway.

...Hallway...

...Mai felt like she had forgotten something very important...

"Elbert, he is my husband," the woman reasoned.

"Did he force you?" Elbert asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," the woman said scowling at Elbert. "Elbert I...I love him. I love him and he is my husband."

Elbert shook his head. "He told you it was your responsibility," he muttered.

"NO!" the woman cried out. "Elbert, listen to me, please," she said covering the sleeping boy's ear with her hand. "He did not tell me that. He did not tell me anything. I begged him to do it."

"What?" Elbert exclaimed suddenly standing stiffly. "You...what..?"

"He is a good man," the woman said shyly looking down at the sleeping boy on her lap. "He is a good husband. He is a good father. And I...Elbert I love him."

Elbert shook his head. "No...NO YOU DO NOT LOVE HIM! Our parents forced you into this marriage!"

"Elbert is it not possible for me to fall for my husband of five years?" the woman asked.

Elbert stood shocked at the woman in front of him.

Mai noticed the tears that were sliding down Elbert's cheeks.

The woman sadly looked at Elbert. "Elbert...Brother, please..."

Elbert winced and looked away.

Mai covered her lips from uttering a word and watched the scene sadly.

"Brother..."

Mai watched Elbert walk away from the woman.

"Brother...what..?" Mai heard a man say from behind her.

She turned to look again and found herself in a dark alley. She gasped at the sight of the man – the woman's husband – on the pavement. Blood was streaming down the side of his lips. Elbert stood in front of him, glaring daggers at the man.

"Quit it," Elbert shouted.

"He is stealing your family," Mai heard the eerie high-pitched voice whisper once more.

"You are stealing my family!" Elbert exclaimed.

"What," the man asked. "I do not understand. Bro–"

Mai gasped.

Elbert hit the man with a steel pipe. The man fell on the pavemet crying in pain. Seeing blood stream down the side of his left eye confirmed that the pipe hit his head.

"You touched her!" Elbert yelled.

"I love her," the man shakily said. "I am sorry this pains you...but I love her. You know I always have."

"He is stealing your family," Mai heard the eerie high-pitched voice whisper again.

"NO!" Mai shouted seeing Elbert lift the pipe again.

"Please no!" the man begged. "Oswald–"

"OSWALD IS MY SON," Elbert yelled – his voice sounding more like a low-pitched growl. His eyes were red in fury. "I AM NOT HIS UNCLE! I AM HIS FATHER! AND SHE IS MINE!"

"Kill him," Mai heard the the eerie high-pitched voice whisper.

"NO!" Mai exclaimed seeing the pipe hit the man's head.


	51. Chapter 51

_I almost forgot to upload the next chapter - too busy this week, haha! Anyway, thank you all so much again for reading and reviewing the last chapters I uploaded for 'Key.' Those reviews inspired me to do some more twists in the story. ^_ v ^

_Hope you enjoy these next chapters. Please read and review! Ghost Hunt is not mine. _

* * *

><p>Oliver sighed looking at Mai's sleeping face.<p>

It was seven in the evening. He had to get home in time for dinner.

"We'll see you in the morning then," Lin told Florence and Margaret who were staying in the hospital that night for Mai.

Florence nodded. "Be careful on your way home," she said. She then looked at Oliver who was still gazing at Mai and smiled.

"Just kiss her, Dr. Davis," Oliver heard Florence say.

Lin bit his lips from laughing while Margaret made no effort to suppress her giggles.

Oliver glared at Florence. "She's not supposed to wake up yet," he said. "So I suggest you shut your loud mouth and let her rest."

Florence rolled her eyes. "We won't look, if that's what you want," she said.

Oliver sighed and shook his head.

Lin turned to look at the door, still trying hard not to laugh. This time Margaret was also trying her best not to giggle.

"By the way, Mr. Lin..?"

Oliver heard Florence ask Lin something about resolving citizenship papers. He took a quick glance at the three and saw that they were all immersed in the legal conversation.

Oliver looked down at Mai. He fixed her blanket and quickly placed a kiss on her forehead. He then turned to the three other people inside the room.

"Is Mr. Mortimer still busy?" he asked Florence and Margaret.

"With the house renovation, yes," Margaret answered. "But he said he is willing to talk to you for anything."

Oliver nodded.

Lin eyed Oliver and knew that something was up.

"Let's go," Oliver told Lin.

Lin nodded.

"Hey!" Florence said. "You haven't kissed Mai, yet!"

Oliver glared at Florence.

This time Lin and Margaret chuckled.

* * *

><p>"How are you?" Mai heard a very familiar voice say.<p>

Mai squinted and scratched her eyes. She groaned, feeling her body loosen up a bit as she stretched her arms. She found herself inside a dark void.

She tried to remember how she got there but the only thing she recalled was having a dream about Naru, Gene, and a man named Lin, a man named Elbert, a woman, a baby named Oswald, and another man who...

Mai winced. It hurt - remembering what she saw.

"It's okay," the voice said. "It's finished."

Mai turned to the source of the voice and smiled. "Gene!"

Gene smiled back at her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I guess," she said feeling like she was sitting on something. "I'm dreaming again..?" she asked looking around.

Gene nodded.

Mai sighed.

She was having a dream inside another dream.

Gene patted her head. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be with you this time."

Mai smiled. "Hey Gene..? I...I had a dream."

Gene nodded. "I know," he said.

Mai stared at him. "You were guiding me there too?"

Gene shrugged his shoulders. "I tried," he said.

"Master Mortimer didn't tell us that he was related to Master Norringbent," Mai said sadly.

Gene nodded. "He doesn't want anyone to make a fuss about it," he said. "Mr. Norringbent himself asked Mr. Mortimer not to tell anyone that he was Mr. Mortimer's uncle. And Mr. Mortimer doesn't know that he is biologically Mr. Norringbent's son. "

Mai stared shocked at Gene. "But Naru..."

Gene chuckled. "My idiot scientist of a brother didn't think it would be good," he said. "Lin and I agreed with him. Mr. Mortimer thought that Mr. Norringbent was only his uncle. And he treated Mr. Norringbent as his father. When he called us to help his uncle, he was at his wit's end in worry. Noll thought that it would only cause Mr. Mortimer more harm to know that the person he believed in violated his mother and killed the man that he knew as his father. We figured that it would only break his heart if he learned that he was the result of an incident that almost drove his mother to insanity."

Mai winced. "Master Mortimer is a good man," she said. "So I don't think Master Norringbent is that bad."

Gene nodded. "Mr. Norringbent was a victim of a society that did not understand," he said. "And a gift that he had no idea how to use."

Mai looked up at Gene. "That's why he's still alive," she said. "You didn't purify him because it wasn't his fault."

Gene gave a sad smile. "To purify him was to burn him alive," he said. "We can't do that."

"And you didn't want Master Mortimer to be hurt."

Gene nodded. "Mr. Norringbent, no matter how violent he became when Belial took over, never stopped caring for his sister and son," he said. "He never hurt them. He never let Belial hurt them. Have I told you that it was Mr. Mortimer who saw the spirits hurting the servants at that time?"

Mai gasped.

"Noll knew it the first time we spoke to him," Gene said.

Mai smiled. "He's really good at this, isn't he?"

Gene chuckled. "You have no idea," he said.

Mai laughed. "So...Mr. Mortimer...?"

"...Has Mr. Norringbent's gift," Gene finished. "But Mr. Norringbent did his best for Mr. Mortimer to live a life far different than what he lived. Mr. Mortimer went to school and interacted well with people - live ones. He didn't get to develop what he had."

"So his ESP vanished?" Mai asked.

Gene smiled and shook his head. "It's a gift," he said. "It doesn't vanish. It only sleeps when it isn't in use."

"And Mr. Mortimer's talent is asleep."

Gene nodded.

"...Just like I am sleeping right now," Mai said.

Gene chuckled. "Unfortunately so, yes," he said.

Mai sighed. "So how long do I get to stay here with you?"

"Until he gets jealous of me, I guess," Gene said smiling brightly at Mai.

Mai felt her cheeks burn. "Stop that! He's your brother!"

"Exactly," Gene said winking at Mai.

Mai frowned, still blushing. She looked away.

Gene laughed.

* * *

><p>Oliver opened the door. Lin stood close behind him.<p>

He and Lin had just reached the house after a drive from the hospital.

"Where did you too go?" Martin asked suddenly standing in the main hall where Oliver and Lin stood. His face was hard.

He knew something was amiss.

When Luella told him about how Oliver strolled in the park almost every day when he and Luella were busy in the conference, he figured that Oliver was doing something behind their backs – most likely involving a social climber named Taniyama Mai.

Oliver tried to keep his straight face.

He and Lin didn't expect Martin and Luella to be there. After all, the conference attendees always had a dinner banquet in the hotel after every conference day ended.

"My apologies," Masako said before Oliver could say anything.

Oliver and Lin stared shocked at Masako who was suddenly standing behind them and bowing at Martin.

She raised her head and shyly looked at Martin. "I saw Dr. Davis and Mr. Lin in the park on my way to the hotel," she said. "I invited them to come with me to celebrate the commendations I received for my lecture today."

Oliver raised a brow at Masako.

Masako glanced at him before smiling at Martin. "I'm really sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to tire Dr. Davis."

"Nonsense," Martin said suddenly happier than he was when he let Lin and Oliver in. "I understand. Would you join us for dinner, Hara-san?"

"Oh wouldn't that be too much?" Masako asked.

Martin chuckled. "You are a friend of the family," he said. "I see no reason why it would be too much."

Masako nodded shyly. "Thank you."

Oliver and Lin watched Martin lead Masako to the dining room.

Lin looked at Oliver.

Oliver was glaring at the sight. "I don't like this," Oliver muttered.

Lin sighed.


	52. Chapter 52

Florence was reading a book on the sofa when she heard a knock on the door.

It was six in the evening. Oliver and Lin had left the hospital early because of Prof. Davis' strict monitoring of Oliver's rest schedule.

Florence figured it was Edmund since he did tell her that he was on his way to the hospital.

She stood up and opened the door - a smile on her face.

"Good evening," the visitor greeted shyly at Florence who stood surprised upon opening the door.

"Oh, uh...Good evening," Florence said staring at the man in front of her. "You are Takumi, yes?"

Takumi nodded. "I'm sorry to intrude," he said. "I heard Mai is confined here..?"

"Yes," Florence answered. It took her a moment to process the reason for the statement. "Oh! My apologies! I'm being rude. Do come in," she said stepping back to let Takumi into the room.

"Thank you," Takumi said walking into the room and quickly looking at the patient on the bed.

Florence noticed the pain and sadness in Takumi's face. She looked away. "Um...I was planning on getting a drink," she said. "Is it okay if I leave you here for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Takumi said forcing a smile on his face.

"Do you drink coffee?" Florence asked looking at Takumi.

After all, he was Japanese. And Mai, also Japanese, rarely drank coffee.

She wasn't generalizing anything but she figured there wasn't anything wrong with asking.

"I insist you drink something while you're here," she said trying to avoid hearing a 'no, thank you' from him.

Mai would have insisted that he drank something as a guest after all.

Takumi chuckled. "Yes I do," he answered. "You're a little like Mai."

Florence smiled. "I get that often," she said. "I guess that's why we make good sisters."

Takumi chuckled again.

Florence then nodded and walked out of the room. But she glanced at Takumi again before closing the door behind her.

She saw Takumi sadly walk closer to Mai's bed. He took Mai's limp hand in his and looked at her face. He held her cheek with his free hand.

He closed his eyes, letting a tear stream down his face.

Florence watched Takumi gently place a kiss on Mai's limp hand.

She sighed and softly closed the door behind her.

Florence leaned against the door and sighed.

Should she tell Oliver about Takumi's visit?

* * *

><p>Charlotte sprayed the Chanel No. 5 around her fit Adrianna Papell textured cap sleeve jacket and pencil skirt. She glanced at her reflection on the mirror for one last time – making sure there weren't any stray locks on her face.<p>

She smiled, pouting her red lips a little.

Charlotte then kept the perfume in her Coach bag and walked gracefully out of the loo.

It was the first day in three weeks that she would be able to see Oliver.

After resting for 2 weeks, Oliver, according to his parents, was advised go back into his normal routine slowly. He started to attend his teaching load in the university again but he didn't commit to his work in SPR. Nor did Oliver attend the forums in the conference.

That week however was the week when he was allowed to fully immerse himself to his usual tasks. So he was attending the last day of the conference.

And Charlotte had planned to accompany him the whole time.

She was after all his fiancée.

Charlotte walked elegantly down the hall, aiming to reach the main hall where Oliver was supposed to walk in with, as usual, his assistant – Koujo Lin.

And soon enough, Oliver walked in clad in a pair of black slacks and dark-brown overcoat – a black knit scarf covering the white turtleneck collar of his white shirt. His black shoes clicked elegantly against the hall floor.

Lin, wearing a grey overcoat and, no doubt, a formal office suit underneath the coat, walked close to Oliver carrying a black office bag that surely contained a Netbook and a number of printed documents.

Charlotte smiled proudly at the sight of his fiancé.

She quickly pranced down the stairs – her metallic beige Manolo Blahnik Campari Mary Jane pumps clicking against the floor with every step.

"Oliver," she called as she reached the last step.

Oliver spared her an icy glance.

Charlotte smirked.

Oliver had a frown on his face and she had expected to see it. After all, it was quite early in the morning and she heard, from his conversations with Luella Davis, that Oliver was not a morning person.

"Long time no see," she said walking gracefully beside him with a smile on her face.

Oliver only snorted, keeping a steady glare at the path that he was taking.

"Good morning, Mr. Lin," Charlotte said sparing Lin a courteous glance.

Lin nodded. "Good morning, Ms. Weist."

"I heard you were quite the patient these past few weeks," Charlotte said looking at the hallway she was sure Oliver and Lin would take. "Prof. Davis said you've been sneaking out of the house instead of resting."

Oliver didn't answer.

His father just had to be a rumour-monger.

Not that it was a lie. Of course he **was** sneaking out of the house, but did other people really need to know that?

Charlotte smirked, eyeing Oliver's irritated face. She was about to speak when she heard someone suddenly walking beside Lin speak.

"That would be my fault," Masako said walking gracefully in her orange kimono that had yellow blossom prints. Her eyes were proudly set on the hallway they were headed to.

Oliver, Charlotte and Lin stared at Masako.

"Good morning, Oliver," Masako greeted smiling sweetly at Oliver.

Oliver looked away – more irritated than before.

Ever since Masako took the blame for his hospital escapades, she called him by his first name.

No doubt it was an attempt for Oliver to call her by 'Masako.' And though they were in England, and calling her by her first name was proper and normal, he just couldn't ignore the fact that Masako was bred in a traditional Japanese culture.

And calling her 'Masako' would mean something that he was sure he didn't want Masako to interpret.

"He had been sneaking out because I had been asking him to tour me around," Masako said.

Lin sighed.

He was not supposed to be there.

Should he go ahead then?

Lin took a glance at Oliver.

Oliver immediately sent him a glare.

Of course, Lin had to stay walking beside Oliver.

Lin looked back at the path they were headed to, ignoring the stares that their group was receiving.

"That's pretty bold of you," Charlotte said wrapping an arm around Oliver's right arm which was close to where she was. "So I was right. You just wear your kimono to act reserved."

Masako glared at Charlotte. "At least I look respectable," she said. "Unlike those people I know who not only act conceited. They also look like bints."

Charlotte glared at Masako. "Oh you know of such people?" she said. "Where do you spend your free time in, exactly?"

Lin sighed.

These were times when he wished that he wasn't Oliver's assistant and, excuse the term, nanny.

"I don't need to go anywhere to see them," Masako said smiling at Charlotte. "I'm looking at one right now."

Great. They were killing each other.

If only Oliver wasn't there to hear it all.

Oliver kept his glare on the hallway. The people walking toward them were immediately walking out of their way.

Oliver didn't want to attend the conference.

Well academically yes, he did want to attend the conference. But knowing how that particular scenario would happen the moment he stepped into the conference grounds...no. He did not want to be there.

However, it was an SPR affair and they dedicated that year's conference to Gene's study.

It took them two years to actually accept the fact that he was gone and that same two years for them to have the strength to make the study he died for as the focus of the conference.

It was only right that Oliver attend it in behalf of his twin brother.

Charlotte chuckled and turned to look at the person behind her – pretending to follow the direction of Masako's vision.

Masako scowled.

Charlotte burst into laughter. "You're accusing a highly respected Oxford University professor of philosophy of being a bint, Ms. Hara?" she asked looking at the innocent 50-year old professor speaking to a group of conference participants in a corner. "How rude..!"

Masako glared at Charlotte. "Apparently you need glasses, Ms. Weist," she said.

Charlotte chuckled. "I think it is **you** who is in need of a good pair of glasses," Charlotte said smiling at Masako. "After all, I don't see any reason for you to accuse Professor Lauren Amberwood of being a bint."

Oliver took a deep breath and sighed.

He would give up anything to be in Mai's side at that moment.


	53. Chapter 53

Masako sighed. "I am absolutely in awe of your patience, Oliver," she said looking at the hallway that they were walking in at that moment.

Lin and Charlotte raised a brow at Masako.

Ooh...she gave up..?

"An ordinary person would have gone out of their wits by now," she said looking as confident as if nothing happened. "Then again, that's what you and I have in common, yes? We don't stoop down to levels only people of a lower class will stoop down to."

Lin stared at Masako.

Was that a retort?

"What does that mean exactly?" Charlotte asked.

Masako eyed her innocently. "My apologies," she said. "Must I say it again in simpler terms for you, Ms. Weist?"

Charlotte glared at Masako.

"Noll! Koujo!" Madoka greeted the moment she spotted them from the main hall entrance on where she stood.

Lin tried not to let out a sigh of relief. But he did let his lips smile.

"Madoka," he greeted back.

Oliver just looked at her.

"Good morning, Ms. Mori," Charlotte greeted as they walked closer to Madoka.

"Good morning, Mori-san," Masako greeted in Japanese.

"Oh, good morning," Madoka greeted Masako back in Japanese. "And good morning to you too, Ms. Weist," Madoka told Charlotte cheerfully.

She then looked at Lin – silently asking him what was going on.

Lin shook his head.

Madoka sighed.

"The program is starting," Oliver said walking toward his seat in the hall.

The others followed him.

As expected, Oliver stared blankly at the stage without a care in the world what the program was about.

Lin and Madoka had always known how much Oliver hated formal gatherings.

He wasn't Gene's twin for nothing.

Masako and Charlotte sat on either side of Oliver, much to Oliver's surprise.

It was then that he realized that his father wouldn't be grinning proudly from the stage without a valid reason.

Masako kept her eyes at Charlotte who was busy trying to make an impression that she and Oliver were...close.

Masako was hurt about realizing that she had lost Oliver even before she realized that she would lose him. When she left the hospital that day, she had decided to give up.

But while she was trying to stop remembering what happened in that hospital room, she realized another thing that she knew wasn't right.

Charlotte Weist knew nothing about Mai Davis. And Oliver was not only trying hard to protect Mai from his parents. He was also trying to protect her from Charlotte.

But who was protecting Oliver from his parents and Charlotte?

Masako was sure that she was being stupid. But she just couldn't let Oliver suffer that way when she could do something to help him.

She decided to cover for him. She told his parents that she had been inviting him to 'dates,' hence his daily trips outside the house.

She also decided to continue fighting with Charlotte to get Oliver. She didn't know Mai, but she was hoping that she was a more worthy opponent than Charlotte.

It was unfair that Mai couldn't fight for Oliver the way Masako and Charlotte could. It was unfair that Mai could not defend her love for Oliver because she was unconscious in the hospital.

The playing ground had to be fair for everyone.

Masako looked determinedly at Charlotte.

Oliver should not be Charlotte's...at least not until Mai was awake and the field was even for all three of them to play in.

Masako smiled – more for her own benefit than anyone else's.

She then heard something vibrate in Oliver's pocket.

Oliver quickly pulled out his phone and flipped it open. He then held it against his ear.

"Yes," Oliver said.

Lin, Madoka, Masako and Charlotte watched Oliver.

"Thank you," Oliver said after a pause. "I'm on my way."

He then closed his phone and looked at Lin.

"I need to meet someone," he said standing from his seat – obviously avoiding any attempt to stop him from doing so.

Lin and Madoka only nodded.

Masako and Charlotte stared confused at Oliver but somehow couldn't say a word to stop him.

They all just watched Oliver walk out of the hall. They saw him stop by the door and speak with a middle aged man.

Lin raised a brow at the sight.

"Who is he?" Madoka asked Lin, staring at the man Oliver was talking to.

"A former client," Lin answered.

After a moment or so, Oliver motioned to one of the marshals by the door to fetch something...or was it someone since Oliver also pointed to the crowd. The marshal nodded and ran toward the seated crowd.

A moment more and Masako saw the marshal walking back to Oliver with a priest in tow – Fr. John Brown.

After a few minutes, the three men left the conference hall.

* * *

><p>"You two met in Japan," Edmund told Takumi who at that time was sitting on the chair next to Mai's bed.<p>

Takumi had been the second most avid visitor of room 503 ever since that night that he first checked on Mai. He always spent the night in the room – sleeping stiffly on the chair next to Mai's bed.

Of course Oliver never saw him there.

When he started to teach in the university again, the longest time that he spent with Mai in the hospital was three hours. He also stopped spending the night in the hospital.

People who knew about the whole situation couldn't blame Oliver for spending less time with Mai. His duties in the university, combined with the demands of his father, made it hard for him to spend time with Mai.

And the glare he threw people was enough to tell them that he wasn't pleased at the situation that he was in.

So Florence figured it wasn't a good thing to inform Oliver about Takumi and his...visits. She didn't want Oliver to be more stressed than he already was.

Seeing a scowling Oliver Davis was scary enough but a frazzled one..?

Takumi looked at Edmund. "Yes," he answered. "Mai and I lived in the same neighbourhood."

Edmund nodded, looking at Mai as he sat on the sofa with that day's newspaper.

That was the last day of the SPR's annual conference.

Edmund wondered if Oliver would visit Mai when the conference's closing ceremony was done.

Should he warn Takumi of Oliver's possible arrival?


	54. Chapter 54

Edmund looked at Takumi once more.

Takumi was reading a book. But he faced Mai's sleeping form.

Mai was a lot better. The doctors said it was a miracle that she recovered that fast.

She was able to breathe without the respirator. Her heartbeat was in a more normal pace. She still had a few broken bones but by how her body was recovering, they were sure that it wouldn't take long for it to heal.

The doctors also said that it was only a matter of time before she woke up.

Mai was one bloody fighter.

"Do you know something about...Naru?" Edmund asked, unsure if Takumi knew about Oliver Davis. Florence told him that Mai knew Oliver as 'Naru.' It was only upon reaching England that Mai learned Naru was actually Oliver Davis.

Takumi looked up. "Naru," he said. "Yes, Shibuya Kazuya."

Edmund kept his astonishment to himself. So Oliver did hide his identity when he went to Japan.

"He lived with Mai-chan," Takumi added.

Edmund couldn't help raising his brows. "He lived with Mai?" Mai taught him about the use of Japanese honorifics. He used to tease Florence by calling her Flo-chan.

...But Naru living with Mai was what shocked him.

"Yes," Takumi said suddenly looking sad. "Mai found him in a car accident. The guy didn't have enough money to stay in a hotel so Mai let him stay in her house." Takumi smirked. "Lucky bastard," he muttered.

Edmund looked away. Well, **there** was a story he didn't hear from anyone...not even Florence. "I heard Naru was from England."

"Yes," Takumi answered. "You know him?" he asked looking at Edmund.

"Not personally," Edmund answered, unsure if he should tell him about Naru being Oliver Davis. After all, Mai could have told him about that when they had that date if she wanted Takumi to know about it, yes? "I heard about him. You know how girls are."

Takumi chuckled. "They're like us," he said. "They flaunt their men."

Edmund laughed. "Yes, something of that sort," he said.

Takumi was far more relax and open than Oliver. He was the kind of person who spoke first before he thought.

"So Naru and Mai is, in truth, a couple," Edmund said.

Takumi shrugged his shoulders, laughing. "Mai denies it," he said. "Naru doesn't admit it. But he doesn't deny it either."

Edmund smirked. That was Oliver alright.

Takumi looked at Mai. "So whose idea was it to change Mai's surname to Davis?"

Edmund froze.

...Oh dear...

Edmund looked away. "We were afraid that issues on her citizenship might be questioned," he said. "We also wanted the hospital to prioritize her condition. We figured using 'Davis' as her surname would give her more benefit at the moment."

Takumi chuckled. "Funny," he said. "You falsified documents to save her from more trouble."

Edmund swallowed.

Takumi was right. It was idiocy.

But he couldn't tell him that Lin used 'Davis' instead of 'Taniyama' so that Oliver's father wouldn't be able to find her in the hospital. From what Edmund recalled, Oliver's parents had hired a detective to find Mai.

"I admit we weren't thinking right," Edmund said.

Takumi shrugged. "I would be as rattled as you if I was there," he said looking at Mai's face. "If only I was there..."

Edmund sighed.

Takumi was no doubt in love with Mai.

Edmund wondered what Oliver would do if he found out about Takumi.

* * *

><p>"He would be mad," Gene said. "But he won't do anything."<p>

"What?" Mai asked.

They were both seated in a meadow. They had been going from one place to another – both unsure of how long they had been doing it.

"Noll," Gene said. "He would be mad if he knew you were dating another man but he won't do anything about it."

Mai scowled. "But I'm not dating another man," she said. "I just went out to the park with Takumi." She told him about how she stayed in England and mentioned about how she met Takumi there. "And why will he not do anything about it if I date another man?"

Gene laughed. "Ah! You're frightened that he doesn't care," he said. "I caught you!"

Mai glared at Gene. "I am not afraid about that!" She looked away. "I know he doesn't care about me."

Gene smirked. "And that is why you're sad."

Mai shook her head and frowned at Gene. "I'm beginning to think that you are no better than your brother."

Gene laughed. "You're evading the topic," he said. "You just proved me right."

Mai sighed and looked down at her hands. "It's not like Naru has this innate responsibility to do anything about it."

Gene smiled. "I didn't say that he won't do anything because he doesn't see it as something that he should do," he said. "You didn't exactly let me finish."

Mai looked up at him – eye brows raised.

Gene chuckled. "He won't do anything for two reasons," he began. "One, he respects you."

Mai smirked. "I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it," Gene said. "He may be a jerk. But he gives respect to those whom he sees fit for it."

"And he thinks that I deserve it?" Mai asked.

"You're not like a lot of girls we know, Mai," Gene said. "You have already earned his respect by seeing him as the jerk that he is."

Mai smiled, looking away to hide the blush on her face.

Gene chuckled. "And two, he won't do anything about it because he's confident that you love him."

"WHAT?" Mai exclaimed looking shocked at Gene.

Gene burst into laughter.

"That pompous jerk," Mai muttered clenching her fists in anger. "He's so full of himself!"

Gene laughed louder.

* * *

><p>Oliver glared at his reflection on the glass window.<p>

He led John and Oswald into an empty room of the conference hall.

Oliver had set an appointment with Oswald for personal reasons. But it was cancelled due to an accident in Norringbent's asylum. After attending to the wreckage that the accident left, Oswald called Oliver for an urgent consultation.

Oliver told him to meet him in the conference so they could speak with a specialist who could help them address what happened.

"Is there something wrong?" John asked Oliver who was scowling at his reflection.

"It's nothing," Oliver said looking at John. "Do continue."

John nodded.

In truth, however, he had been having this nagging feeling that his twin was doing something that he shouldn't be doing...at least in Oliver's standards.

He was amazed that he could still sense it the way he always had in the past – when Gene was alive.

It must be the bond they were still sharing beyond Gene's death. Oliver suddenly wondered why his brother hadn't moved on.

"I do not think it would be wise if you perform an exorcism rite there, Fr. Brown," Oswald said.


	55. Chapter 55

_I am so sorry. I did a lot of things last week so I couldn't upload chapters the way I wanted to. I also still have tons to do this week so I'm not sure if I'll be able to upload the chapters as frequent as I do in the past. But thank you so much for being patient with me. And most importantly for reading and reviewing the updates I made last week. _

_Hopefully I can upload chapters better this week. Hopefully. And hopefully I'll be uploading better chapters this week, haha! I know the last updates were boring. I'll see what I can do about that. _

_So here is/are (haha! so unsure on how I'll be updating this week) the next chapter/s for Key. Please read and review. Ghost Hunt is not mine. Tah!_

* * *

><p>They had been discussing Norringbent's case ever since they stepped into the empty room.<p>

After the attack on Mai, which Oliver sadly had to disclose to John, Norringbent seemed more agitated than usual...or at least the demon inside him had been more...excited.

Norringbent was unconscious, thanks to the high dose of tranquilizers given to him, when Oswald and his servamts transported him back to the asylum. They didn't notice the change until Norringbent woke up in his usual straight jacket and chain.

"Dr. Davis can tell you both how and how many priests have died trying to save my uncle," Oswald said. His eyes were deep - shades of grey made his lower eyelid sag. His lips were paler than normal. Oswald grew ten years since Oliver saw him. "I can not have another one risk his life."

Oliver supported Oswald's decision. He had seen how those unfortunate men of faith died – twisted neck, broken limbs, severed skulls... They couldn't risk putting John in the same place where Norringbent was.

"I understand," John said. "But I can only perform exorcism rites when I am with what or with who needs it. I can bless the room where you intend to move Mr. Norringbent to. But I cannot assure you that he could be freed from what possesses him."

Oswald nodded. "I doubt he could be saved from it, Father Brown," he said looking sadly away.

Oliver watched the two apathetically.

John sighed and patted Oswald's shoulder. "God is good," he said. "He will help us. He will help your uncle."

Oswald smiled. "I hope so," he said. "My uncle had done so many sins. I myself have done horrible things. I am afraid we are only both paying for what we have done."

Oliver looked away.

There was a way to save Norringbent, though he wasn't sure if it would save his soul.

It was to stain Oliver's own hands with Norringbent's blood.

But Oliver couldn't say it...not in front of the kind priest...not even in front of Oswald.

Oliver sighed.

When he did a psychometric reading of Norringbent's room back then, he witnessed the last time that Norribent acted like himself...or rather the last time that Norringbent had complete control of his body.

He was trying to kill himself – stabing his wrist with a knife.

He realized what he had done and what was inside of him. The spirits haunting him were seeking for justice.

He was being punished.

And Belial's take over locked him in a void where he was forever tormented by the spirits of his victims.

If they pushed through with the exorcism, which would kill Norringbent, they would free his soul from the void. He would perhaps go to hell.

Did he deserve to be freed from the claws of the spirits of the people he violated and murdered?

When Oliver handled the case, he thought that keeping Norringbent's soul inside the void was a better punishment than sending him to the netherworld. At least he was sure that Norringbent was paying dearly for his sins.

And he didn't want to kill anyone, let alone kill anyone by burning them alive.

It was also easier to minimize the harm that Norringbent could cause than killing him. All they had to do was keep Norringbent under strict confinement in a room that was sealed. By sealed, it did not only mean having various locks and doors. It also meant having spirit barriers that were made by Lin.

And that particular room was Norringbent's room in the asylum – the room that, according to Oswald, was found in ruins as if a wrecking ball smashed one of its walls.

They were lucky the feat caused Norringbent to faint. The asylum attendants were able to transfer Norringbent into another room, making sure that he was heavily sedated enough to sleep until the room was fixed.

Belial was getting stronger.

And a normal Catholic exorcism would surely cost its exorcist's life.

Oliver sighed.

Either they kill Norringbent or they bury Norringbent 10-feet below the ground until he died.

Seeing how Norrinbent barely aged, however, made Oliver doubt if Norringnbent would perish under such a grave-like confinement.

Norringbent would have been a very interesting study – a study on how destructive it would be to have a demon-possessed medium roaming amongst the living.

That was the reason why Oliver took the case. He was finishing his thesis about being a medium.

"Shall I will bless the room, where his uncle will be moved, before Mr. Lin puts seals on it?" John asked Oliver.

"Yes," Oliver answered looking at the priest. "However, I am yet to inform him of the task so I may not be able to give you a time when we can perform the rites at the moment. Would it be too much, Fr. Brown, if you extended your stay here in England for this."

John smiled. "I don't mind staying so I may give a hand to someone."

Oliver nodded.

"Thank you so much, Fr. Brown," Oswald said, teary-eyed and looking relieved at the priest. "Thank you for accepting my request. Numerous servants of God had turned me down due to the danger it would cause them. I know it is hard to do, but I need your help. Thank you for accepting my plea. Allow me to pay for the expenses in your extended stay. Please, Father Brown. I'm afraid my soul will remain restless until I do so."

John sighed. "You need not do it," he said. "But if it would put you at ease, I have no choice."

"Thank you! Thank you, Fr. Brown," Oswald said kissing John's hand. He grew younger by a year.

"Thank you, Fr. Brown," Oliver said. "I will inform you when we will perform the rites in the asylum."

John nodded. "You are welcome. I am glad I can help."

"You can go back to the conference hall," Oliver said.

John nodded. He looked at Oswald. "God bless you, Mr. Mortimer," he said patting Oswald's head. "I'll meet you tomorrow morning so I can bless your house."

Oswald nodded. "Thank you Fr. Brown," he said smiling at the priest. "I will be in your hotel at nine tomorrow."

John turned to Oliver.

Oliver nodded.

John smiled and walked out of the room.

Oswald began to wipe his tears with his handkerchief.

The man was at his wit's end.

"Mr. Mortimer," Oliver said.

Oswald looked up at Oliver. "Yes, Dr. Davis?" he weakly asked.

The strain was too heavy for his shoulders. And what Oliver would tell him would make it even heavier.

But it had to be done.

"Do you still have time for an extended conversation?" Oliver said.

"Yes, absolutely," Oswald said. "Would this be about Ms. Taniyama?"


	56. Chapter 56

Oliver kept his eyes at Oswald. "No, though I also wish to talk to you about her."

Oswald nodded. "What is it then?"

"This is about your uncle," he said.

Oswald winced and looked away. "Is there…really no way to save him?"

Oliver eyed him carefully.

Oswald wasn't a fool. He got his degree with academic honors, and passed his licensure exam as one of the ten people who scored the highest.

"There is," Oliver said.

Oswald looked up at him – his eyes moist with tears. "There…Is it…What is it?"

Oliver kept his eyes steady.

Oswald bit his lip.

"Purification by fire," Oliver said.

Oswald sighed heavily. "I was afraid you would say that," he said looking out at the window to feel the blowing cold breeze.

Oliver watched him. "I apologize for not telling you earlier," he said.

Oswald smiled. "It's okay," he said. "I knew it was an option. When you told me about your findings, I knew it was already part of what you found out. I knew you kept it from me." He looked at Oliver – a light smile on his face. "Has anyone told you that your eyes are very expressive?"

Oliver didn't do anything. He just watched Oswald.

"Your eyes betray you," Oswald said looking into Oliver's blue eyes. "But only the keenest of people could see it. I wonder why."

Oliver looked out the window.

Oswald chuckled. "Mai's eyes are like yours," he said. "So expressive…"

Oliver watched the trees sway their leaves with the breeze.

Yes. Mai's eyes were so expressive. Oliver could see through her face so easily with those eyes. But it wasn't that trait that made him so fond of her. It was the fact that she acted freely and independently from other's judgements about her.

She saw the jerk in him when others either couldn't, or merely ignored it because of who he was and what he looked like.

Mai was different. She saw him differently.

"I know it is greedy of me," Oswald said looking sadly at the scenery outside the window.

Oliver looked at him.

"But he is all that I have left," he said. "He is my family – the reason why I strive to live. I am still hoping to get everything fixed. I still dream of one day waking up to see the uncle that I knew when I was a child."

Oliver kept his emotionless gaze at Oswald.

Would his want to keep Norringbent alive, change if he knew what they knew?

"You treat him as your father," Oliver said. "I understand that."

Oswald smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if he was my father. I never met anyone who was so close to their uncle as I am," he said. "Perhaps it was because of my father's death."

"If he was your father, would you still feel the same for him?" Oliver asked.

Oswald shrugged his shoulders. "I adore him," he said. "That one I can indeed assure you, Dr. Davis. I adore him as if he was my father by blood. I care less of what he had done in the past. I know he has paid dearly for them in what has been happening to him. I know that deep inside, he had admitted his faults and sought for forgiveness."

Can he tell Oswald? Should he tell Oswald?

"The best way to save him is to let him go," Oliver said.

Oswald winced. "Yes," he said. "I understand. But can I...may I still keep him? Just...I need him. I still need him."

Oliver watched a tear slide down Oswald's cheek. He sighed and looked away.

"As a client, you have the right to know everything that we found out in our investigations on the case," he said pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket.

Oswald looked confused at him.

Oliver gave him a piece the piece of paper.

Oswald took it and examined what it was. "This is your office address at the top, yes?" Oswald asked baffeled at what he read on the paper.

"Yes," Oliver said. "What you see below that is the code written on the file we made about your uncle's situation. We have people in the office today. They will assist you with looking the file up."

Oswald stared surprised at Oliver. "Dr. Davis..?"

"You gave us permission to do what we saw was fit to do," Oliver said. "...Even if we did not personally consult you about them."

"Yes," Oswald said. "And I have no regrets. You did your best to save us all."

Oliver turned to leave. "Do visit the office and check that file before you go home," he said. "I personally don't want to cause you any more inconveniences but you are a client, and you deserve to know everything about your case."

Oswald stared at the piece of paper once more. "Would I...Would I be happy with what I will find?"

Oliver looked at the door he was headed to. "I must return to the conference, Mr. Mortimer," he said. "Thank you for trusting us once again."

Oswald sighed. "No," he said. "I thank you, Dr. Davis, for lending me a hand once more. I am forever in your debt."

Oliver didn't respond. He walked out of the room looking as expressionless as was possible.

Would Oswald still think of such a debt when the day ended?

"Dr. Davis, wait!" Oswald called running after Oliver.

Oliver turned and looked at Oswald.

"What about Ms. Taniyama? Will you not talk about her today?"

"Another time," Oliver said.

Hopefully Oswald would speak with him again.

* * *

><p>Masako and Charlotte anxiously watched the door.<p>

It had been quite a while since Oliver left. Prof. Davis was giving his closing speech for the conference and his eyes had been searching for his son in the crowd.

Masako saw John walk into the conference hall some time earlier. Something must have happened if only John came back.

"Oh," Charlotte breathed sighing in relief upon seeing Oliver walking through the door.

As expected, Oliver acted as if nothing happened.

He looked at the stage and saw his father behind the podium - speaking about the success of the past conferences.

Lin and Madoka noticed how the professor noted Oliver's presence at the door with his eyes.

Professor Davis smiled. "You have all been asking me about grooming a successor," he said eyeing Oliver.

Oliver stiffened.

He wouldn't.

"Before I answered your questions, my oldest son died," Martin continued.

Lin and Madoka froze.

Was Martin..?

"Amidst the articles about people's condolences to the family, all of which I humbly thank all of you for by the way," Martin said. "There were questions on who were to become my successor for SPR."

Masako and Charlotte sat still – confused as to what they should do.

Something was about to happen and they had the strong feeling that they were involved in it somehow.

"I would like to take this opportunity to clear the rumours," Martin said. "...At least the rumour about the stability of SPR..."

Oliver glared at his father.

You wouldn't.

"I have spoken to my boys about this a long time ago," Martin said. "Eugene, even though he was the oldest, didn't want to accept my position in the SPR. He believed that his brother, Oliver was fit for such tasks. And seeing the passion that Oliver showed in this field of study – his accomplishments and continuous dedication to this science – I understood what Eugene meant. Before he left that day, he told me that my wife and I raised them well. He told me that I shouldn't worry about leaving the company to Oliver. He believed that Oliver would do wonders not only to SPR, but also to the field of parapsychology."

Oliver didn't know what to do.

Gene told him that? He told him that before he left for Japan? Did Gene have a vision that he was dying there? And he still went to Japan and died?

Oliver felt...furious, not only because of what Martin was doing, but also because of what he learned about Gene.

Did Gene leave him alone on purpose?


	57. Chapter 57

"You all know Oliver," Martin said. "And I want you all to know that my heir had always been Oliver. Eugene and Luella had always been proud and happy to know that."

Martin watched people smile and nod at his revalation.

It was true.

Gene was happy to give SPR to Oliver. Eugene, though a few minutes older, delighted himself with supporting and protecting Oliver.

He didn't dream of handling SPR on his own.

"Oliver, like his brother, didn't want to take SPR," Martin began. "But Eugene and I believed that SPR would be in great hands if Oliver took my position in the future. So Oliver and I, with Eugene and our trusted family friend in SPR – Koujo Lin as witness..."

Madoka covered her mouth in shock.

Lin bit his lips from cursing.

Oliver closed his palms into fists – very tight fists.

Masako and Charlotte listened - their serious faces on.

"...Made an agreement," Martin continued. "Oliver will take over SPR after he settles down and marries. I know he is still young, but we all know how old he really is, don't we?"

The crowd chuckled.

Oliver had already graduated his doctorate degree. Of course he was old enough.

"Luella and I have decided that next year's conference will be organized by Oliver," Martin said.

Oliver stiffened more...if it was even possible to grow stiffer than he already was.

"This will be in preparation for his future responsibilities in SPR," Martin said.

A loud round of applause echoed all over the hall.

Masako and Charlotte sat staring in surprise at Martin.

Did that mean..?

"Is Dr. Davis getting married next year?" several people in the crowd shouted.

John sat shocked in his seat.

What about Taniyama Mai?

Oliver shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned away from the conference hall and walked away.

...Martin did it.

* * *

><p>Takumi yawned.<p>

It was already way past noon.

Edmund smirked, watching Takumi rub his eyes.

He had no idea if the conference was over. He even forgot about the possibility that Oliver would pay Mai a visit that day.

"You need to get some rest," Edmund said turning the page in the newspaper that he was reading while seated on the couch.

After all, sleeping while sitting on a hard chair wasn't that easy. And that was what Takumi had done the night before.

Takumi chuckled. "I guess you're right," he said looking down at Mai's sleeping face.

"You can come back later," Edmund said.

Recalling Oliver's busy schedule, Edmund decided Oliver wouldn't spend the night there.

...Would he?

Takumi stood up and stretched his arms up. He then looked down at Mai and smiled.

"I'll come back, neh Mai-chan," he said lightly caressing Mai's cheek with the tip of his fingers.

Edmund shook his head and covered his face with the newspaper.

Takumi noticed it and stared confused at Edmund. He then burst into laughter. "Thanks, Eddie," he said before planting a kiss on Mai's forehead.

"No biggie," Edmund said putting down the newspaper after Takumi kissed Mai.

Takumi chuckled. "I still would have kissed her either way, you know."

Edmund chuckled. "Oh yeah," he said realizing that Takumi was the opposite of Oliver.

"Well, I'm going now," Takumi said walking to the door. His hand reached for the door knob. "Who will be here later?"

Edmund thought for a while. "I think..."

The door opened.

Edmund froze and quickly stood up from his seat.

Takumi stepped back in surprise and stared confused at whoever pushed the door open from outside.

Edmund suddenly realized how cold Mai's room was.

The man stood on the doorway - clad in his dark brown overcoat and black pants. A black knit scarf covered the tutleneck collar of his white shirt.

He stared at Takumi.

Takumi stared back - raising his brows.

"Naru," Takumi said.


	58. Chapter 58

_So sorry for the still boring chapters. I'm still tortured with all the things I need to finish for this week. At least now I've decided to finish "Key" in...let's see...the next two or three weeks? Hopefully I meet my own deadline, haha! Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the chapters despite how "crappy" they were. _

_THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!_ ^ v ^

_So here are the next chapters for "Key." I hope you enjoy reading them. DO tell me what you think about them. _

_Ghost Hunt is not mine!_

* * *

><p>Gene anxiously looked up at nowhere.<p>

Mai watched him sigh regretfully.

They were still floating in the middle of nowhere, though this time "nowhere" was filled with sparkling lights.

"Gene..? Is something wrong?"

Gene smiled sadly at Mai. "It's nothing," he said.

Mai sighed, frowning at Gene. "It's Naru, isn't it?"

Gene looked away.

Mai touched Gene's cheek. "What happened?"

Gene turned to smile at Mai. "Don't worry," he said. "He's alright."

Mai shook her head. "He's upset, isn't he?"

Gene looked up.

Hopefully, Oliver would look in a mirror.

* * *

><p>Oliver just stared at him.<p>

Takumi smirked. "So you're really here in England," he said in Japanese. "I didn't really believe it when Mai-chan told me that you went back here two years ago."

Edmund had no idea what to do. After all, he wasn't supposed to know who Naru was. What Takumi knew was that Edmund only heard Mai talk about Naru.

Oliver kept his apathetic face on.

"So are you here to visit Mai-chan?" Takumi asked, still in Japanese. "Oh wait!" he exclaimed in English. "I forgot we're in England, sorry." He turned to Edmund and smiled at him. "My apologies, Eddie," he said.

"I don't mind," Edmund stiffly said.

Oliver just watched Takumi.

"This is Naru by the way," Takumi said, introducing Oliver to Edmund. He then turned to look at Oliver. "So how did you know Mai-chan is here?"

Oliver didn't answer. He just kept his eyes on Takumi.

Edmund immediately realized how bad Oliver's mood was at that moment.

"Uh Takumi," Edmund called, watching the staring competition between Mai's suitors...Wait, is Oliver still a suitor?

Edmund shook his head. "I'll get Naru here some coffee since he's visiting," Edmund said. "Would you mind coming with me to the cafeteria?"

Takumi smiled at Oliver. "Sure," he said.

Edmund quickly ran to the door and stiffly looked at Oliver. "Let me just get you something to drink, Naru," he said.

Oliver didn't reply. He stepped into the room and fixed his eyes on Mai's sleeping form.

Takumi stared at Oliver. Edmund noticed how strained the atmosphere in the room was.

"Shall we, Takumi?" Edmund asked. "I'll be back with your coffee," he told Oliver.

Oliver ignored them.

Edmund and Takumi walked out of the room.

Edmund let out a sigh of relief.

"Tea," Takumi said.

Edmund stared confused at Takumi. "I'm sorry..?"

He noticed Takumi's dead expression.

"Naru drinks tea," Takumi said. "Give him tea, not coffee."

"I see," Edmund hesitantly said. "Thank you for the advice."

* * *

><p>Oliver sat down on the bed – his hand holding Mai's limp one tight. He gazed at Mai's face, stroked her hair away from her face with his free hand, and slowly placed a kiss between her closed eyes.<p>

He left everyone in the conference hall.

He left his parents, Madoka and Lin without a clue as to where he went, when he left the university, why he left...no. Lin would get a hint on why he left.

Lin would also have an idea on where he was.

He didn't care anymore though. He was where he wanted to be.

Oliver stood up and took his coat off together with his scarf. He folded them and placed them on the couch. He then took off his shoes and pulled out the slippers he kept in the hospital room when he spent the night there. After wearing the slippers, he went to the bathroom and washed his face.

After rinsing his face free of the lather of soap, he looked at the mirror to check if there were still traces of soap on his face.

He found himself staring at his reflection. His blue eyes were dark beneath the shade of his dripping black locks.

Oliver noticed how sad the eyes on the reflection were. He saw its mouth open slightly to say something.

"Nol–"

Oliver walked out of the bathroom, wiping his face on the towel that hung at the back of the door of the loo.

He had kept a stash of necessary things and clothings in the room ever since he decided to spend the night there.

Oliver walked toward the side table and pulled out a bag that contained the clothes that he used when he slept there.

He pulled out a sweatshirt, and a pair of jogging pants. He pulled out his phone and dropped it on the couch – ignoring the message on its screen that said – '6 missed calls.'

Oliver went back to the bathroom and changed his clothes.

Edmund walked in with a cup of tea. "Oliver?" he called, seeing no one but Mai in the room. Ever since Mai was hospitalized, he and Florence learned to address Dr. Davis by his first name.

Edmund looked around and noticed a bag that contained Oliver's bag open in a corner, mobile phone vibrating on the couch, and Oliver's overcoat beside it.

He placed the cup of tea on the table beside Mai's bed and walked to the couch to see who was calling Oliver's phone.

"Lin calling…" Edmund read on the screen.

Edmund looked at the door of the loo – sure that Oliver was on the other side.

Did something bad happen in the conference?

Edmund sat down on the chair beside Mai's bed and sighed. Hopefully Oliver didn't get mad at him for allowing Takumi inside Mai's room.

Florence told him that Oliver was aware that Takumi was in England. He was also aware that Mai had contact with Takumi.

What he didn't know was that Takumi had been taking his place when he wasn't there.

Edmund cringed, recalling how low the temperature dropped inside the room when Oliver arrived to see Takumi there.

After a moment or so, he heard a click from the door of the bathroom.

Edmund looked up to see Oliver stepping out of the loo with the clothes he wore earlier folded and draped on his arm.

"I brought you a cup of tea," Edmund said.

Oliver looked at Edmund and nodded. He then kept his discarded clothes in the bag.

"You can go home," Oliver said coldly as he zipped his bag close.

Edmund just stiffly watched at Oliver. He wanted to say something but upon hearing the harshness in Oliver's voice, he lost the words that he wanted to say.

Oliver picked his vibrating phone up and stared at the screen of the vibrating phone until the vibrating stopped and the screen said '7 missed calls.'

"Go have your lunch," Oliver said turning to the table and picking up the tea that Edmund brought it. He took a sip and closed his eyes. "I'll be staying here for a while."

"Yes," Edmund said weakly said. That much was obvious.

Oliver was in his sleeping-beside-Mai wear.

Edmund took a deep breath and stood up from his seat. He walked toward the couch and picked up his newspaper. "About Takumi, Oliver," he carefully said.


	59. Chapter 59

"...I apologize that I did not inform you about him earlier."

...Silence...

Edmund turned to look at Oliver's expression.

Oliver was sitting on the chair beside Mai's bed, sipping the cup of tea.

His face was...emotionless.

But Florence warned him of Oliver's deceiving apathetic facial expression.

"Does he stay here often?" Oliver said – his eyes now fixed at Mai's face.

Edmund stepped back a little in surprise before answering. "Yes," he said.

"How long does he stay here?" Oliver asked.

"...Long enough," Edmund answered – evidently anxious of what to say.

"...Long enough," Oliver repeated.

"Yes."

"He stays long enough," Oliver said.

"Yes."

"He stays here long enough."

"Yes."

"He spends the night here."

"Yes," Edmund answered before he realized what Oliver asked.

He froze and looked away.

Was Oliver...furious?

Edmund wasn't scared of Oliver. In fact, he was determined to beat Oliver to a pulp if even something bad happened to Mai because of Oliver.

But seeing a very...emotionally unstable Oliver was...frightening.

His glare was bad enough – chills crept up Edmund's spine.

Edmund slowly looked at Oliver again.

Oliver had his eyes fixed on Mai.

After a moment or so, Edmund sighed. He walked to the door.

"I'm spending the night here," Oliver said.

Edmund looked at him. "Are...you angry?"

"Not to you," Oliver said before he took another sip of his tea.

Edmund smiled. "Florence and I will visit you two later," he said. "How opposed are you to fish and chips?"

"Thanks," Oliver answered.

Edmund chuckled. "I'll take that as an 'I don't mind eating it,'" he said. "I'll see you later." He then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Oliver sighed and finished his tea.

Was he angry? Yes. Was he angry at..?

No. He was just...upset about him.

See? He couldn't even think about his name! ...Just his face...

Oliver watched the light glint the gold key on Mai's necklace.

He placed the empty cup on the table and held Mai's hand.

"Holding you is so much better than holding that gold key," Oliver muttered.

He then laid his head close to Mai's and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>Ayako stirredher glass of iced tea with a straw, watching its ice cubes collide with each other.<p>

It was nine in the evening and the club was running wild.

It was the club's third year anniversary and they held an all night rock concert for their customers. People at that moment were screaming and dancing to the tune of the songs of the band on stage.

But Ayako's mind was too occupied to care for the noise around her.

She just sat still in the counter – her mind drifting toward some place far from the bar.

"Hey beautiful," a burly man said eyeing Ayako as he slumped close...too close...beside her.

Ayako didn't respond. She barely even realized that someone was talking to her.

The man smirked, wiping his alcohol-stenched mouth with the back of his hand. "I've been watching you," he said.

Ayako again did not respond. She just stared at her drink – watching the ice cubes collide each other as she stirred the liquid.

There were so many thoughts going on in her head.

All of them were about one concern.

Ayako gasped suddenly feeling and smelling someone huge and stinky gripping her waist tightly.

Hairs...moist and pointy mustache hairs were violently rubbing against her neck. She felt a pair of clammy lips smothering her neck and collar with kisses.

Ayako screamed and hit the man with her purse. She kicked him away, but he was too big and strong.

"HELP! HELP ME! GET OFF!" Ayako yelled, tears filling her eyes as she felt the man hungrily grope her chest.

But the sounds in the bar swallowed her shrieks. The people around her were too drunk to care. Some of them were even insane enough to cheer for the man.

Then the man fell down in a loud thud on the floor.

Ayako fell over the counter.

"...You piece of shit," a familiar voice angrily muttered near Ayako.

Ayako looked up and saw Takigawa standing close to her – fists tightly closed and ready to beat someone.

The man staggered to stand. "Who the hell..."

Takigawa punched him on the face, pushing the man back down on the floor. He punched him several times, obviously in the peak of his fury.

It was only when Ayako saw three men grabbing Takigawa away from the monster than she realized what was going on.

The burly man was trying to hit Takigawa back and people were also pulling him away from the scene.

Ayako quickly hurled a nasty kick on the man – her red shoe's stiletto heel hitting the man's proud manhood.

Takigawa winced as the man cried out in pain.

Some of the men around them even started covering the precious parts they had between their legs.

"You bastard perverted jerk!" Ayako scolded hurling a pounding the man's head using her purse. The Swarovski crystals on the purse left scratches on the man's face. She kept on hitting the man until her vision blurred...and a pair of gentle arms pulled her away by the waist.

Ayako found her self crying against someone warm and familiar.

"It's okay, Ayako," Takigawa whispered close to Ayako's ear as he her tight against his chest. "It's alright. It's finished. I'm here."

Ayako sobbed louder and buried her face deeper against his chest – ignoring the fact that it was partly covered by his semi-buttoned shirt.

Takigawa sighed and lifted Ayako's arms. He wound them around his body so Ayako could hold him. When Ayako submitted and eagerly hugged him back, he gently placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Let's go to Yasu's office," Takigawa whispered.

Ayako tried to stop herself from crying before she looked up – her eyeliner smudged not only on her face, but also on Takigawa's chest. "But your concert," she weakly said.

Takigawa chuckled. "It finished fifteen minutes ago," he said trying hard not to laugh at Ayako's eyeliner-smudged face. "And here I thought you were actually paying attention to my performance."

Ayako scowled and glared at Takigawa. "Well I'm sorry I don't like such noisy music!"

Takigawa rolled his eyes and kissed Ayako's tear-stained eyelids.

Ayako felt blood rush up her cheeks.

"You're being a pervert," she muttered.

Takigawa laughed. "I don't like old women, Ayako."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"


	60. Chapter 60

Takigawa chuckled and held Ayako close to his side as they walked to Yasuhara's office.

Yasuhara was away that night. He left that morning to attend to an important sideline work. Takigawa was left in charge of the bar while he was away. Ayako was given the task to assist Takigawa.

Ayako sat on the couch – her legs folded against her chest.

"I told them to take that bastard to the police," Takigawa said preparing tea in the make-shift kitchen in the room.

He had been watching Ayako from the stage the minute they started their performance. He had noticed Ayako's sullen mood while they were preparing the bar for the concert.

Takigawa walked to the couch with the cup of tea. "Here," he said, handing the tea to Ayako.

"Thank you," Ayako said taking the tea from Takigawa. She slowly took a sip as Takigawa sat down beside her.

"What happened back there?" Takigawa asked.

In truth, however, he saw everything from where he stood in the stage.

...Talk about paying attention...

Takigawa was worried about Ayako's actions so he kept his eyes on her. While Ayako was sullenly playing with her drink, the pervert approached her and spoke to her.

That scene alone was enough to make Takigawa angry.

Ayako seemed to ignore the man – something Takigawa didn't expect her to do since even the most minute of insults triggered her violent side.

Then the perverted man pulled Ayako toward him – dragged her slightly away from the counter, and did what made Takigawa want him dead.

Takigawa quit his solo part and signalled the others to go on with the performance while he ran down the stage and made his way to help Ayako, who was at that moment attempting to save her self from being raped.

Ayako shrugged her shoulders. "I was just sitting there," she said. "And then that ghoulish-looking pervert pulled me and started kissing me."

"Did you like it?" Takigawa asked.

Ayako glared at Takigawa. "You know, if you didn't save my life back there earlier, I would have showered you with this steaming cup of tea."

Takigawa raised his hands. "Okay, okay...no need to be violent."

Ayako looked away.

Takigawa saw a tear slide down her cheek.

"Hey," Takigawa said leaning closer toward Ayako and holding her cheek in one hand. "It's over. You're safe now. He's going to rot in jail."

Ayako bowed her head. "I was so stupid," she whispered. "I was so weak."

Takigawa froze.

That was the first time Ayako admitted a weakness...and she admitted two of them.

He sighed and smiled at Ayako.

Takigawa took the cup of tea from Ayako and place it on the center table near the couch. He then pulled Ayako toward him and made her sit on his lap.

"Why didn't you notice him?" Takigawa asked gently stroking Ayako's red tresses with his fingers. He held her firmly against his chest.

Ayako was thankful that her head was pressed somewhere far from Takigawa's line of sight. She was sure her cheeks were as red as her hair.

"He was there," Takigawa said. "He was talking to you."

Ayako froze. She then sat away from Takigawa. "You were watching me?" she exclaimed.

Takigawa rolled his eyes. "You were giving me a headache with getting the bar fixed before we opened," he said. "You barely moved your fat behind from that chair to help out with arranging the tables."

Ayako scowled. "My behind is not fat," she angrily said. "And that doesn't sound like a good excuse to stalk me!"

"Stalk you? Can you hear yourself? Geez! Ayako, this is insane," Takigawa said, shaking his head and standing up from the couch.

He then walked toward the door and held the door knob.

"Hey!" Ayako shakily called.

Takigawa sighed and didn't move to open the door. "What?"

Ayako sighed and looked shyly away. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"What else do I look like I'm doing?" Takigawa said. "I'm going out to help out in the bar."

"Now..?"

Takigawa rolled his eyes. "Of course I'll go out of this room first," he said.

Ayako scowled. "You good for nothing monk," she muttered.

Takigawa shook his head. "You're hopeless," he said. "I just saved you from getting raped and this is what you do to me. I'm really starting to doubt that you're a miko."

"I AM a miko!"

"Well you don't act like one!"

"Could you turn around?" Ayako shakily said.

"I'm on my way out of this room to help at the mess outside! Why should I turn–"

"Stay," Ayako whispered.

Takigawa stared at the door. "What..?"

"Don't...go out yet..." Ayako mumbled.

Takigawa smirked. "Are you badmouthing me?"

"NO!"

"Then tell me what you want me to do!"

"I just did!"

"I didn't hear anything!"

Ayako took a deep breath and sighed. "Stay," she said.

Takigawa turned to look at Ayako. "Why?"

Ayako glared at Takigawa. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Takigawa rolled his eyes and turned to open the door.

"NO! Stay here! I'm scared!"

Takigawa smiled. "There now," he said turning to look at her. "Was that so hard?"

Ayako glared at Takigawa. She got her purse from the couch and threw it hard toward his head.

It hit Takigawa's forehead.

"OUCH!" Takigawa exclaimed, quickly touching the part of his head that was hit by the purse.

Ayako gasped as she watched Takigawa kneel down on the floor – his hand still on his forehead.

"Oh dear!" Ayako said as she jumped off the couch and ran to Takigawa's side. She quickly looked at Takigawa's forehead. "This is your fault!"

"MY fault..? YOU threw that purse on me!"

"I wouldn't have thrown it you weren't that IRRITATING!"

"I wouldn't be that irritating if YOU weren't that ANNOYING!"

"How did I become ANNOYING?"

"Was it really that hard to tell me you need help here?" Takigawa asked looking at Ayako.

Ayako didn't know what to say. Was it..?

She then realized how close she was to Takigawa's face. She could feel his breath against hers.

"Well..?" Takigawa asked.

Ayako sighed and looked away, trying hard not to blush at what just happened. "That's just a bruise," she said. "It'll heal in a week."

Takigawa frowned. "I can't go out on the stage with this bruise."

Ayako rolled her eyes. "In case you weren't informed yet, the concealer's been invented," she said picking up her purse from the floor. "I have one of the expensive kinds here in my purse."

She walked back to the couch with her purse, sat down, and began rummaging her purse for a concealer.

Takigawa smirked. "Oh," he said walking toward the couch and taking a seat next to her. "So that's what you use to hide your wrinkles."

Ayako glared at Takigawa and hit his head with a purse.

"OUCH! Stop it already!"

"Then shut your mouth!"

Takigawa sighed and slumped back on the couch.

Ayako pulled out her concealer and stared at it. "Yasu said Mai-chan got into an accident," she said.

Takigawa's face turned serious. "You heard that too, huh?"

Yasuhara called that afternoon to tell Takigawa the news he got from a friend of his who was in England. Apparently, Yasuhara's friend – a priest, John Brown – was close to Naru, or Oliver Davis.

The priest told them how Mai met an accident that got her at that moment still unconscious in the hospital. Though Yasuhara assured him that Oliver was already taking care of her, Takigawa still felt worried about Mai.

Takigawa didn't know Ayako already knew about it.

Takigawa looked at Ayako. He saw how worried she was. "We're both worried about Mai-chan," he said.

Ayako frowned and glared at Takigawa. "I don't see how that's true," she said. "You can still play pranks like she's not in danger."

Takigawa glared back at Ayako. "That's because I'm sensible enough not to let it affect how I'm living with the world around me!"

Ayako looked away.

Takigawa sighed. "I'm sorry," he said holding Ayako's hand. "I know you're really worried about her. Trust me. I want to be there for Mai-chan. But I have to accept that fact that I can't go there without enough money to pay for a one-way plane ticket."

Ayako closed her eyes and nodded. "I just can't help but think about how things would have been if I was there in her graduation ceremony," she said.

Takigawa smiled. "You're not the only one regretting things," he said. "I still regret not being there for her in that ceremony too."

Ayako looked up at Takigawa. "I just...I want to help her," she said.

"Ayako, Mai-chan is already in the hospital," Takigawa said. "And though I still hate the kid for hurting jou-chan, Naru is there and making sure that she lives through this."

Ayako sighed and looked down at her free hand. "You're right," she said. "Mai-chan will be okay."

Takigawa nodded. "Let's put some faith in those kids," he said, patting Ayako's head.

Ayako chuckled. "Stop that!"

Takigawa laughed and pulled her to his chest. "Are you still scared?"

Ayako didn't answer. But she leaned her head on Takigawa's chest.

Takigawa smirked. "You know," he said lifting Ayako so she would sit on his lap. "Sometimes I think you're Naru's sister."

Ayako glared at Takigawa. "And you're Mai-chan's brother?" she muttered.

Takigawa shrugged his shoulders. "We're both happy people."

Ayako hit Takigawa's head with her purse.

"OUCH! Seriously! You are EVIL, baa-chan," he said scratching his head while his other hand held Ayako tight against him.

Ayako leaned her head on his chest and smiled.

Naru was there. He won't let anything bad happen to Mai.


	61. Chapter 61

Oliver opened his eyes and saw Mai's sleeping face. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"You got us all worried," he heard Lin say.

Ah. He found him.

Of course he knew Lin would find him. He wouldn't be in Mai's room if he wasn't willing to be found.

Oliver sat up on his chair and looked at the couch where Lin was, a take away meal in his hand – fish and chips.

Edmund and Florence must be there.

"I hope they're not banging in the loo," Oliver said massaging his sore neck seeing that only Lin was there.

"They went out to buy drinks," Lin said.

Oliver nodded.

"Where did you go after the conference?" Lin asked.

Oliver stood up and walked toward the restroom. "Somewhere," he answered.

"You didn't go here right after you left the conference," Lin said.

"Of course," Oliver said opening the door. He went inside and closed the door behind him.

Lin sighed.

Sometimes he hated the fact that Oliver was smart.

Lin stared at Mai's sleeping form.

"I will never know what you saw in him," Lin said.

Oliver walked out of the room after washing his hands and face. "I'm not going home," he said wiping his wet face with a towel.

Lin looked at him. "I brought you clothes that you can wear tomorrow when you decide to go home."

Madoka was sure Oliver didn't want to go home so she gave Lin a bag with Oliver's clean clothes.

"Your parents are worried," Lin said.

Oliver didn't answer. He instead walked to the couch where the bag Lin brought was and started to check its content.

"Are you not going to give them a ring at the least?" Lin asked.

Oliver closed the bag and sat beside Lin. He took the food wrapped in newspaper from Lin's hand and started eating the fries.

Lin watched him, waiting for a reply.

"Tell them I'm staying in a hotel," he said. "I'll give mum a call later."

Lin sighed.

Mum.

Oliver rarely used Mum.

Luella asked the twins to call her 'Mum' but they respected her so much that they called her 'mother.'

At least Oliver could still mention Luella. The fact that Oliver said he would call his 'mum' was enough to tell Lin just how upset he was with his father that he wouldn't even dare think about talking to him...even through the phone.

"Your parents are upset," Lin said.

Oliver glared coldly at Lin.

Lin felt chills run up his spine.

"So am I," Oliver said. Even the sight of his fingers daintily holding a piece of deep fried fish fillet wasn't enough to reduce the effect of his glare.

Lin looked away.

"I will call my mother before I go to sleep," Oliver said looking down at his food and munching on some fries.

"You just woke up," Lin said eyeing Oliver carefully.

Oliver took a bite at the oily piece of fish fillet.

"And you don't sleep early," Lin added.

"I'll sleep early," Oliver said. "I'll just wait for the last visit of the nurse for today."

Lin sighed and looked at Mai. "Just call them," he said. "They're panicking."

"Apparently not enough to quit what they're doing," Oliver said.

Lin kept his mouth shut.

Oliver had a point. He deserved to be upset.

His parents were lucky that Oliver was done with adolescence...Wait. Was he?

Lin watched Oliver eat his oily fish and chips.

He looked like a typical middle-class young man who loved eating an oily street food using his bare hands.

"Have you eaten?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," Lin said. "Madoka and I had dinner before I went here."

"You were sure that I was here,"Oliver said.

"I called Edmund," Lin said.

Oliver nodded.

It didn't take long before Edmund and Florence walked into the room with cans of sodas in hand. They made small talks with Lin while Oliver ate his dinner. Lin offered Oliver a decent supper – a dinner in a nearby restaurant that he promised would not be charged to Oliver. Oliver declined and washed his hands after finishing the fish and chips.

"How is Ms. Taniyama?" Lin asked Florence while Oliver washed his hands and brushed his teeth in the bathroom.

"Absolutely better," Florence answered cheerily. "The doctor said she might wake up very soon since her body is recovering fast."

Lin nodded.

At least Oliver had one less concern in his life.

"She's a queer one," Edmund said sitting next to Florence and looking at Mai.

Lin looked at him.

"She always gets into trouble, but she always quickly recovers," Edmund said.

Florence chuckled. "She's a kind kid," she said. "I bet she has lots of angels praying for her recovery."

Edmund laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's true," he said. "She thinks more about others' sake than her own."

Lin looked at Mai. He gazed at her peaceful face.

Was that true? Was Mai really that kind?

Was she really not an opportunist?

* * *

><p>Takumi stood by the window in his apartment – his eyes fixed at the direction of the hospital where Mai was.<p>

He wanted to change his clothes and walk out of the apartment. He wanted to jog like he always did, and end up in front of the hospital were Mai was.

He saw himself walking into the hospital, riding the elevator, pressing the button for the fifth floor, walking out of the elevator to look for room 503, opening the door with an excited smile on his face...

...and seeing Naru sleeping beside Mai on the bed.

Takumi winced.

Mai was just a friend of his who was too kind and too stupid. She was a friend that she sold to strangers in the hope of earning enough money to get her back after she saw what she wanted to see in England.

It turned out that his share of the profit that the strangers gave him wasn't enough to get Mai back to Japan.

His only hope was that Mai didn't work as a prostitute – what the men running the recruitment agency wanted.

Unfortunately, though Mai worked in England as a maid, she ended up being involved in a horrible accident that almost took away her life.

Takumi hit his head on the steel frame of the window.

If only he was a gentleman like Naru. If only he was rich and educated like him...maybe...maybe...

Takumi opened his eyes and looked at the small part of the hospital that he could see from where he was.

"Mai," he whispered.

He then felt his mobile phone vibrate on the wooden side table beside him. He picked it up and held it against his ear.

"Hey," he said in Japanese.

...Pause...

"I was thinking you'd say that," he said trying his best to smile and sound happy.

...Pause...

"I have it," he said. "I'm almost done. Shall I buy the tickets?"

...Pause...

"I see," he said. "Okay."

Click.

Takumi put the mobile phone back on the wooden sidetable.

He would get Mai. He would get Mai back.

"Soon," Takumi said. "Just wait for me, Mai."

* * *

><p>Mai sighed looking down at her hands.<p>

Gene smiled. "You miss the outside world," he said.

Mai shly looked up at Gene. "You miss it too, don't you?"

Gene shrugged his shoulders. "This is my place now," he said.

Mai sighed. "Hey Gene..?"

"Yes?" Gene asked sitting in front of her.

"What if I stay here with you?"

Gene froze.

Mai looked up at him. "Will I...Will I die?"

Gene's face turned grim. "Why are you thinking about staying here?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "This is my second time to be here," she said. "I was just thinking if...If this is a sign that I...have to stay here."

Gene sighed and kissed Mai's forehead. "Do you really want to stay here?" Gene asked closing his eyes as he laid his forehead against Mai's.

Mai closed her eyes. "I..."


	62. Chapter 62

Oliver opened his eyes in fear.

He found himself sleeping beside Mai – darkness flooding the room.

He sat up and checked his wristwatch.

It was two in the morning.

...Right. He didn't go home. He was too pissed to face his parents.

Oliver held his face, suddenly noticing the sweat that was sliding down his forehead.

His chest was heavy and painful. It was as if a huge stone was fixed atop his sternum.

Oliver winced.

"Blast it," he muttered angrily.

If he asked the nurse for medicine, they might recommend that he be examined – and all hell would break lose – tests, confinement...his parents might know where he was.

Oliver shook his head and turned to Mai.

Something terrible caused him to feel that way.

What was it?

Was it a dream? Was it a nightmare?

Why didn't he remember?

He combed her hair away from her face with his fingers – subtly feeling her soft cheeks.

They were cold.

Oliver froze.

Mai's cheeks were cold.

Oliver checked the heart monitor. It was only then that he realized how slow the beeping sound was.

Oliver felt his body shiver in fear.

He quickly held Mai's face in his two hands – trying to warm her cheeks.

"Mai," he called. "Mai wake up," he said in Japanese. "Mai, don't do this. Mai..."

...Silence...

Mai was still cold. Her heartbeat was still disturbingly slow.

Oliver quickly jumped off the bed and turned the light on. When he turned to hit the nurse call button near the hospital bed, he stiffened.

Mai wasn't pale. She was turning purple.

Oliver quickly hit the button. "She's not breathing," he shouted on the speaker. He tried to warm her face and hands with his palms.

"Mai, don't do this," Oliver said looking closely at her lifeless face.

He could feel his breath bouncing against Mai's lips.

But he could barely feel Mai's own breath against his face.

"Mai," he said, gripping her hand tight and lifting it to his cheek so it touched his face. "Mai, I'm here," he said – his voice breaking. "I'm here, Mai. Don't do this. It's over. You've gone through it. You're safe. You'll be safe. Mai, I'm not going to leave you," he said ignoring how shakey it came out.

A few moments more and a group of nurses walked into the room. They pulled Oliver away from Mai and began checking her pulse and heartbeat.

"It's fading," the nurse examing her pulse said.

...Pause...

The heart monitor rang a long and irritating beep.

The group began their attempt to revive her.

Oliver wanted to go to Mai's side but a nurse pulled him away from the scene.

"Let me go!" Oliver shouted.

"Let us help her, Dr. Davis," the nurse said trying to push Oliver out the door since he somehow couldn't pull Oliver away.

"She needs me," Oliver said pulling his arm away from the nurse. When he successfully freed his arm from the nurse, a second nurse held his other arm. "What the...Let me go!"

"Dr. Davis, let us do our work," the second nurse said. "We'll help her. Please, sir. You need to– "

"NO!" Oliver yelled glaring at the nurse.

The temperature in the room dropped.

"Dr. Davis, please," the two nurses said, subtly giving a third nurse – who was then standing behind Oliver with a syringe – a nod. "You need to calm down."

Oliver glared more at the nurses. "Leave me alone! Go and help her!"

The pieces of furniture in the room suddenly moved agains the floor – making a loud screeching noise.

The nurses winced.

When Oliver forced his way through the two nurses in front of him, he felt a sharp needle pierce the skin on his arm.

He turned to look at whoever caused the sudden sting and saw a nurse with an empty syringe.

Oliver glared angrily at the man – the needle tip of the syringe slowly bending toward the nurse.

The nurses froze.

Oliver was about to make the syringe fly toward the nurse's neck when his vision began to blur.

He felt his knees weaken...his whole body feel heavy...his eye lids...

"That was scary," he heard a nurse mutter. "How is she?"

"Still no heartbeat," said another nurse.

"Mai," Oliver called, trying hard to keep his heavy eyelids up so he could see her.

The nurses were still around Mai. She was still turning purple.

"Mai, p-lea-h-se," Oliver said – his words greatly slurred. "Don't...lea-r-ve m..me..."

Everything went black.

"Have you decided?" Gene asked looking at Mai. "Will you stay?"

Mai was looking up at Gene – eyes filled with tears.

"Naru," she called.


	63. Chapter 63

The nurses froze and stared shocked at Mai.

"Naru," Mai weakly whispered – the heart monitor beeping frantically.

"This is...This is just...impossible," one of the nurses said.

Mai slowly opened her eyes – squinting at the blinding light engulfing the room.

"Naru," she called again.

Mai winced at the pain in her shoulder. While she was trying to open her eyes wider, she spotted Naru's limp body on the couch across her bed.

She gasped in shock.

"NARU! NARU!"

She quickly sat up. The nurses immediately tried to push her back down on the bed.

"LET ME GO!" she cried out in Japanese. "NARU! NARU!"

Naru stayed unconscious and unmoving on the couch.

Mai stretched out her hand to him. The sudden movement pulled the fixed needles across her skin – making a long and painful gash.

Mai screamed in pain as the gash began to profusely bleed. Her shoulder began to sting unbearably.

Her vision of Naru began to blur...her cries were slowly devoured by silence...Her body felt heavy – too heavy for her to carry...and then...

...Darkness...

* * *

><p>Lin walked down the halls of the hospital.<p>

It was seven in the morning.

The moment the nurse in the nurse station got Oliver's message, she called Lin to tell him what happened. It was in accordance to Lin's request of course.

Madoka was right. Bribing people once in a while was good.

Lin wanted to get there right after he received the call from the nurse. He was already preparing himself when the nurse called again to say that everything was alright and that they didn't think Oliver needed immediate assistance.

And Madoka was being irresistible that Lin had to sleep in and cuddle her until she decided that she had a life outside Lin's arms.

Lin shook his head, trying to stop his face from blushing.

…501…502…503.

Lin held the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"…told you to call me when you got home," Lin heard Oliver say in Japanese.

Lin saw Oliver sitting beside Mai with a bowl of hot soup in his hand. He was stirring it with a spoon – probably cooling it off for Mai.

Mai was also seated on the bed – pouting at Oliver. She had a sling on her arm to keep her from moving her cemented shoulder. The arm where the dextrose and other tubes were connected to was covered with bandage.

...Must be the arm with the new cut wounds.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't informed that you wouldn't answer the call," Mai said in the same language – glaring at Oliver.

Oliver looked up at her – unfazed.

"I called you several times," Mai said. "You didn't answer any of them."

"I wasn't enojoying myself," he said. "I was working. You should have tried to call me again."

"You said it yourself," Mai said leaning forward toward Oliver. "You were busy! I didn't want to bother you!"

"When on earth did I tell you that you were a bother?" Oliver said glaring at Mai.

Mai pouted. "I was being nice to you when I decided not to call you, and you treat me this way," she said.

"That's because your idiocy almost got you killed," Oliver replied.

"I just stepped into the kitchen! I didn't tell him to–" Mai leaned forward more, unconsciously moving her injured shoulder and wounded arm. "OUCH!" she winced looking away from Oliver – her closed eyes teary.

Oliver sighed and put the bowl of soup on the side table near her bed. He stood up and helped Mai slowly lean back on the pillow that the nurses placed behind her back.

Mai sighed in relief as she felt the pain slowly subside.

"Idiot," Oliver muttered.

Mai glared at Oliver. "Jerk!"

"At least I'm not an idiot," Oliver replied taking the cup of soup from the table.

Mai was about to lean angrily forward again but Oliver gave her an icy glare.

She froze and looked away.

Oliver scooped a spoonful of soup and offered it to Mai. "Eat," he commanded.

Mai frowned at Oliver – her lips in its usual pout. But she did what Oliver told her.

Lin's eyes were wide.

He didn't expect to see Oliver act that way toward a girl...not in a million years…not even a billion.

"They're fighting again, aren't they?" Florence said, suddenly standing beside Lin by the door.

Lin looked at her and noticed that she was smirking at the scene inside the room.

"I don't understand Japanese much," Florence said. "But they looked like they were arguing earlier."

"Yes, they were," Lin answered.

Florence chuckled. "Typical," she said. "Mai always described Oliver as a jerk. I'm not sure if it's true. But I heard that people who hate each other, in truth, love each other. And I think that applies to them."

Lin looked at Oliver and Mai.

It was true. Mai didn't see Oliver the way most of the women Lin knew saw him.

Seeing Mai and Oliver having glaring competitions at that very moment, hearing Mai telling him about how narcissistic he was and hearing Oliver give back a teasing retort about Mai's mental abilities, oddly made them look like…the perfect couple.

"Does Master Mortimer know about this?" Mai shyly asked Oliver.

Oliver raised a brow at Mai.

…About the two of them?

"My…accident," Mai said looking up at Oliver.

Oliver stared at Mai. "How long do you think have you been staying here?" he said in his usual flat tone.

Mai frowned. "Is it wrong to ask?"

"If it's something an average human should already know?" Oliver asked looking at the bowl of soup and taking filling up the spoon.

Mai glared at Oliver. "I'm not an idiot."

Oliver looked up at her. He stared at her for a moment before he looked down at the bowl once more.

Mai glared at Oliver more. After a few moments of getting no response from Oliver, she sighed.

"Shouldn't you go home now? Your parents might get worried," Mai said - worry apparent in her features.

Oliver looked up at Mai. "You're in England."

Mai frowned. "They're still your parents, Naru," she said.

Lin raised a brow at the scene.

…Naru?

"And you're in England," Oliver said once more.

Mai frowned. "But you've been here since when...yesterday?"

"Just eat," Oliver said offering another spoonful of the soup.

Mai sighed and did what Oliver told him.

Lin stared surprised at everything. Any woman in Mai's age would have done anything to prolong the experience of being spoon-fed by Oliver.

Yet there she was, sincerely worried about what Oliver's parents would feel if he didn't go home.

…Perhaps…perhaps.

Lin's mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly walked away and let Florence take the best view of the romantic drama inside the room.

"Madoka," Lin said, holding the phone against his ear.

"How is she?" Madoka asked.

"She's awake," Lin said.

He heard Madoka sigh in relief. "That's good," she said. "So...how **is** she?"

Lin stiffened.

Madoka meant something like, 'how is Mai as a person and as Oliver's girlfriend?'

Lin looked up at the ceiling trying to find the answer that he hoped was etched there…somewhere there…

"She is…"


	64. Chapter 64

Luella sighed as she stared at her plate - ignoring the steamy slices of roast veal that were staring back at her.

It was noon and Martin took her out to have dinner in their favourite restaurant.

Martin looked up at her. "Luella," he said knowing well what it was that made her sigh.

Luella looked sadly back at him. "Do you think Noll is having his lunch?"

Martin sighed. "Luella, Noll is twenty-one," he said looking straight into her eyes.

Luella frowned. "He is our son, Martin," she said glaring at him. "And need I remind you that he is out there in some hotel, not because he wishes to be independent, but because he is upset – no doubt due to **your** fabulous deed yesterday."

Martin shook his head. "I did it because I wanted everyone to know that SPR will remain even when we reach our retirement age," he said. "It is a way to obliterate the rumours about SPR dying."

"You did it to pressure Noll and you know it," Luella said.

Martin sighed. "Fine," he said. "Do not tell me you don't agree. It was the right thing to do and you know it."

"No, I don't know it," Luella said. "All I know is that it's severing our ties with our son. And yes, due to this reason, I tell you now that I do not agree to what you did. You are pushing him away from us instead of making him realize what you want him to realize."

"What **we** want him to realize," Martin corrected.

"No," Luella said. "What **you** want him to realize. I told you to stop it – to let him go–"

"And ruin his life?" Martin said. "Do you really want that Taniyama girl to be your daughter-in-law?"

"If she will make Noll happy, what wrong is there that I should see?" Luella reasoned before sighing tiredly.

Martin shook his head. "You will let him live unde the claws of that–"

"Why do you hate her, Martin?" Luella asked.

"She's a–"

"...A what, Martin? You haven't even seen her, nor have you spoken to her on the phone! What is she, Martin?"

Martin just looked at Luella.

"Martin, if Noll is in deed making a fool of his self, don't you think Lin and Madoka would have done something to stop him by now?" Luella asked.

Martin looked away and shook his head. "They are employees," he said. "Why would they–"

"Because they care, Martin," Luella answered firmly – her eyes nearly glaring at Martin's stubbornness. "They care for Noll. They care for Gene. They care for us. You know that well, Martin."

Martin kept his mouth shut.

Of course he knew that Lin and Madoka were family to them. But the fact that they were passively supporting Noll in his stupendous conquest of love toward a...nevermind...It was enough for Martin to know that they did not understand the implications of what Noll was getting himself into.

Luella sighed again, knowing Martin found another rebuttal inside his thick skull. "When are you going to stop this? When we lose Noll the way we lost Gene?"

Martin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Couldn't she see that he was doing it so they wouldn't lose Noll?

The girl was from Japan. Assuming that she was in deed what Noll thought she was, Noll's marriage to the girl would most likely pull Noll back to Japan – back to the place where they lost Gene.

What if Noll had an accident there, and ended up in where Gene was?

What would happen to them then?

Taniyama was a bad influence.

At least if Masako would be his daughter-in-law, she wouldn't mind staying in England since she was educated enough to adapt to the English culture.

...But Taniyama? Taniyama will stay in Japan. She will pull Noll away from them for good.

...And SPR?

Taniyama might not want to have anything to do with it unlike Masako would.

Masako understood the purpose of SPR. She was a medium. Charlotte understood the purpose of SPR. She was a scientist.

Taniyama..?

"The mother of your grandchildren – uneducated," Martin muttered, looking away.

"Motherhood was never measured by a mother's academic accomplishments," Luella said, this time really glaring at Martin.

Martin looked up at Luella and tried hard not to wince.

"It had always been measured by how a mother acts as a mother to her children," Luella continued. "And I believe she graduated highschool."

Martin looked down at his food and forced himself to finish his dinner.

* * *

><p>Florence took the empty bowl of soup from the table.<p>

Mai was sleeping. She fell asleep after she ate and bantered with Oliver, hence her seated position at that moment. Oliver slept seated beside her – his head leaning down on her limp one.

He sat beside her when he noticed that her eyes were drooping. Mai didn't want to lie down and sleep thinking that she had to make up for the time she didn't stay awake.

"They had quite an evening," Florence said looking at the couple as she placed the bowl on another table.

Edmund and Lin were in the room. The three of them went in after Oliver submitted himself to slumber.

"It's morning, darling," Edmund jested, sitting on the couch with Lin. "It was dawn when Mai woke up."

Florence rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said looking at Edmund.

Lin watched Oliver sleep in a position that he believed was anything but comfortable.

...Yet Oliver's face was calm.

Lin had always known that Oliver's face was angelic when he was asleep. But he never thought Oliver would look peaceful.

Taniyama was indeed a special girl.

Lin remembered his conversation with Madoka earlier that day...when she asked him what he thought of Mai.

"She is Japanese," he answered.

Though he had of course known that she was Japanese long before he saw her in person, it was the only unbiased description that he could give.

Madoka put him in a very awkward position – giving an opinion that affected Oliver's life.

Did he really have to decide on whether Oliver was being stupid for falling for Mai or not?

He waited for a response from Madoka. After a moment of silence, he heard her chuckle.

"Japanese," Madoka said. "So you hate her?"

Lin locked eyes with the whitewashed wall this time, hoping the answer he had been seeking was engraved there.

It still wasn't there.

"I don't care about what happens to them," he said.

Madoka burst into giggles. "You and I both know that is not true," she said. "Gene and Noll are more than younger brothers to us. They are our first children."

Lin looked down at the floor, hiding the blush that was forming in his cheeks from the teasing stare of the white wall.

"No," Lin quickly said without thinking. He realized what he did and sighed. "The professor wants what is best for Noll."

"Do you think keeping Noll away from Mai is the best thing for Noll?" Madoka asked.

Lin just stared at nowhere.

He wasn't Noll's father. He was in no position to decide for Noll's future.

Then again, Noll was twenty-one. Didn't he already have a right to decide for his future?

Lin had to admit that he felt sad for Noll.

He had seen how broken Noll became when he lost Mai the first time, how he lived again when he found saved her in the market, how he almost died when they found her dying.

And seeing how the professor was pulling Noll away from her...it was like seeing Noll being forced into an operation that amputated one of his limbs.

Still...there were things about Mai that bothered him.

She was attacked by Norringbent – a demon-possessed man who preyed on people with enough spiritual energy to possess a degree of ESP.

She helped Oliver find Gene.

Did Mai really call Oliver 'Naru,' or did he simply hear it wrong?

"Ms. Taniyama," Lin said calling Florence and Edmund's attention.

The two looked at him.

"She called Oliver by a different name," he said.

Florence chuckled. "Yes," she said taking a seat next to Edmund. "She calls him 'Naru.' That had been his nickname for Mai since they met in Japan, I think."

...Naru..?

So it was really 'Naru?'

"I've always thought it was a pet name," Florence said, chuckling at the thought. She then noticed Lin's confused expression. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Lin shook his head. "Must be a coincidence," he muttered.

"**What** is a coincidence?" Florence asked.

"You said Ms. Taniyama knoew Oliver as Kazuya Shibuya, yes?" Lin asked. "And that it was only here in England that she learned about him being Oliver Davis."

"Yes," Florence answered.

"Aside from 'Naru,' do you recall any other name of Oliver's that she knew?"

"Just the Japanese one – Kazuya Shibuya," Florence said. "And 'jerk,' but that's not exactly a proper name so...What is the coincidence?"

Lin nodded. "Oliver's nickname is 'Noll,'" he said.

"Oh, yes," Florence said. "I heard you call him that a lot."

"'Noll,' when translated in Japanese is 'Noru,'" Lin continued.

"WHOA! Naru?" Florence exclaimed.

"No," Lin replied. "It's 'Noru' – with an 'o,' not an 'a.'"

"Oh," Florence said. "That **is** quite a coincidence."

Lin sighed. Was it really just a coincidence? Or did Mai know Oliver's nickname in Japanese, and she merely modified it to come up with a friendly insult? They after all seemed to love bickering.

If that was the case, Mai would have to have known that Oliver's name was really Oliver Davis when she met him in Japan.

But how would she know?

She helped Noll find Gene.

Was it...Did she..?

Edmund chuckled. "I should have brought my camera," he said looking at the occupants of the hospital bed.

Lin turned to look at Edmund, raising his brows in confusion.

Edmund looked back at him – a smile on his face. "Do you think Dr. Davis would let anyone see him holding a girl's hand like this?"

Lin turned to look at the hospital bed while Florence burst into giggles.

He himself almost smiled.

Oliver's hand was holding Mai's – his fingers twined with hers.

Lin smirked.

Would he want Mai for Oliver?

There were things he wanted to know about Mai, yes. But was it enough to make him believe that she was wrong for Oliver?

"This would have been much better than his picture in that bloody tabloid," Florence said.

Lin looked at Oliver's face.

For a moment there, Lin thought Oliver was smiling.

* * *

><p><em>My sincere apologies. These weeks, with the Halloween season going on, I just couldn't upload chapters as well as I have. I'm still trying to make it up to all of you. (And I'm hoping I could meet the deadline I set, haha!)<em>

_Anyway, thank you all so much for reading 'Key,' and the chapters that I uploaded. Thank you also for the suggestions, and advise you gave me both for how the story should go, and for how I'm uploading chapters in this story. I really appreciate your help * _v *

_Since I'm still trying to juggle things here, this will be my AN for the week. Hopefully I get to upload other chapters before the week ends. _

_So again, please read and review this chapter, and the chapters to follow. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story. _


	65. Chapter 65

Oliver sat in the passenger seat, looking at the street as Lin drove the car.

It was four in the afternoon and they were on their way to the airport.

A week had passed since Mai woke up. Just a few days ago, he and Lin accompanied John in the asylum where Norringbent stayed.

"You're really going home," Lin said as he drove the car down the highway.

Oliver kept his eyes locked on the window. "I keep my word," he said.

Lin agreed to help in securing Norringbent's room under the condition that Oliver would go home to his parents.

Lin took a quick glance at Oliver from the corner of his eyes. "Just making sure that you weren't going to get your things from the car once we get to the airport," he said.

Oliver raised a brow at Lin. He was too tired to give a death glare.

He still remembered how Mai watched him pack his bag in the hospital before he left – how he held her hand when he called her an idiot for looking so glum…how he pouted her lips and glared at him…how she called him a jerk…and how warm her forehead was against his lips when he tried to stop her from moving her injured shoulder.

Leaving that room was as difficult as leaving her in Japan – before he became an idiot and got mad at Mai, of course.

He couldn't believe that he would have withdrawal symptoms just three hours after he left the hospital.

"Did you put my passport in the bag?" Oliver asked Lin with a sarcastic air as usual.

Lin didn't answer. He knew Oliver was pissed at the idea of leaving the hospital without Mai.

It wasn't good to have him levitating things around when they were on the road.

Oliver turned away and looked back at the window.

Lin noticed this and thought of it as a chance to answer back without pissing him off further than he already was.

"You have your means," he said.

Oliver smirked. "Then you should see Mai in the airport later when I run away from you," he said.

Lin sighed.

Of course this was Oliver Davis who he was talking to. He wasn't going to run away from him if he could think of a way to make everyone think that he was safe and sound in the house when in truth, he was boarding a flight to Japan.

And he wouldn't leave Mai.

So as long as Mai was confined in the hospital, Lin was sure that Oliver wouldn't leave the country. Heck, he wouldn't even dare to go anywhere that would put too much distance between him and Mai.

"Puppy love," he muttered.

Oliver looked disgustedly at Lin. "You've been watching chick flicks with Madoka again, weren't you?"

Lin stiffened. "'The Last Song' is a chick flick?" Lin asked Oliver.

Oliver sighed. "What else were you watching last night? 'A Walk to Remember'?"

"No," Lin answered. "We watched that one last Saturday. Last night, we watched 'Love Actually,' 'Kate and Leopold,' and 'The Proposal.'"

Oliver stared at Lin.

He knew they watched movies every now and then. Madoka had a stash of romance movie DVD's in her office.

But he didn't think they would watch four chick flick movies in one night.

"Do you two also watch porn?" he asked.

Lin turned a deep shade of red. He opened his mouth to speak but Oliver cut him.

"I'm twenty-one, Lin," he said.

"You're still too young to have children," Lin replied.

"Would it help if I tell you I'm still a virgin?" Oliver said, trying hard not to smile.

"The more reason you shouldn't be aware of such things," Lin said.

"Do you watch porn?" Oliver asked.

Lin kept his mouth shut.

Oliver just stared at him.

After a few silent moments, Lin sighed.

"I'm old enough," he said keeping his eyes on the road and trying hard not to let his face blush further.

"So you do watch porn?" Oliver said.

"It's not a habbit," Lin said. "I just happened to see it. It's not like wanted to see it."

Oliver smirked. "Was Madoka with you when you saw it?"

Lin looked like he was having a bad fever.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Davis!" John greeted as Oliver and Lin walked toward him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Lin," he said, smiling at the tall man.<p>

"Good afternoon, Father Brown," Lin said.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else for your trip back to Japan?" Oliver asked.

John shook his head. "Thank you," he said. "I really enjoyed my stay here. Thank you for inviting me to attend your conference. I'll send them your regards."

Oliver nodded.

"So how is Ms. Taniyama?" John asked.

"She's better," Oliver said. "She'll be out of the hospital in a month."

John chuckled. "Oh Yasuhara will be very glad to hear this!"

"Did Mr. Mortimer tell you anything?" Oliver asked.

Lin sighed.

When they went to the asylum, Oswald Mortimer acted more depressed than Lin knew he was. He barely spoke to them, and he couldn't look at Oliver's face.

He then learned that Oswald went to the SPR office and read the files about his case under Oliver's permission.

Lin immediately understood why Oswald acted that way.

John's face lost its cheerful smile. "Yes," he said. "He told me about his relationship with Mr. Norringbent."

Oliver kept a straight face. He was expecting Oswald to do so. John was the closest thing to a friend for Oswald.

But that answer wasn't what he was hoping to hear.

"But he's not mad at you," John told Oliver. "He said that he's more ashamed of himself. You almost lost your brother because of his father. And knowing your talent, he was sure that you suffered a lot – seeing what he had done."

Oliver quietly sighed in relief.

"He hopes to still be friends with you," John said. "He doesn't have many people who he can talk to here."

Oliver nodded.

Lin took a glance at Oliver from the corner of his eyes.

Why did he have a feeling that Oliver was planning something?

* * *

><p>They left the airport after John got into the airplane for his flight to Japan. As agreed upon, Lin drove Oliver home to his parents.<p>

"You're planning to see Mr. Mortimer, aren't you?" Lin said looking straight at the road as he drove.

Oliver kept his eyes on the window. "He's a former client," he said. "We always talk to the client after the case is done."

Lin glanced at Oliver. "You won't be talking about the case though," Lin said. "Are you going to buy Ms. Taniyama from Mr. Mortimer?"

Oliver looked up at Lin. "Are you aware that you are giving me an idea?" he asked.

"I am aware that you have thought of that long before I have," Lin said.

Oliver sighed and looked out the window.

"Noll, whatever this is that you're planning to do-"

"Thank you."

Lin stared at Oliver.

Thank you..?

Oliver didn't say another word. Instead, he leaned back on his seat and pulled out his phone – his thumb pressing only two keys on the key pad.

He then held the phone against his ear. "Idiot," he said.

"Jerk!" Lin heard a loud high-pitched voice echo from the phone.

Oliver smiled.

Lin knew immediately who it was and kept his eyes on the road.

If Martin saw how happy Oliver was with Mai, would his decision change?


	66. Chapter 66

_I am so sorry that you think I'm just dragging this story right now so it would have tons of chapters. It was never my intention. Like I said before, I was planning on ending this story about 10, 20 chapters ago, but after reading the reviews, I figured that I should end this story at the more positive part of the whole plot. Yes, I have a plot for this story already planned out in my head. Actually, Are You Happy and Key are supposed to be just one story. I've had the ends planned out from the beginning but the reviews I read on the chapters made me realize that I could still improve the plot that I already made - hence the queries I wrote in my ANs. _

_I also apologize that by the looks of things, I won't be able to end this story in the deadline that I previously made for myself. I'm not trying to go all negative or give excuses. I just want to come clean. I really have a lot of things on my table at the moment. Perhaps if I earned a living by uploading chapters here, or if I earned a dollar or cent with every good review I get here, I would absolutely update every day - if not every minute.(Won't we all? haha)_

_I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm nagging or something. I just want to assure you all that 'Key' WILL have an ending. When exactly, (well I can actually end it now ^ v ^ with this chapter) I can't tell. I understand how upsetting it is to read and fall in love with a story and learn later that it's author lost the inspiration to finish it. So I really want to finish my work, not only for me, but for those who are reading it. _

_And, this may sound weird, but I love my stories. I treat them as my children - as a living piece of me. And to not end them properly for me is like not giving them a beautiful life, and not giving them a chance to entertain people which is the main purpose of their existence. Yes, I guess I am insane that way. But that's how it is for me. * _v *

_Anyway, thank you all so much for still reading 'Key' and still giving reviews on it's chapters. I really appreciate the time and effort to read and review this story that you all give. I hope the notes I typed above don't discourage you from reading on. I just really want to assure you all that I'm not just trying to fool you all into reviewing my work. _

_Here's the next chapter. This isn't supposed to be the last for 'Key' but like I said, I don't really mind ending it here if that would make you all happier * _v * _Again, thank you all so much. Writing for all of you (and sharing my babies with you_ ^v^)_ is a really great experience for me. _

* * *

><p>Takumi walked out of the counter – two passports in hand.<p>

It was early in the morning and he had just taken the passports that he requested from an office.

He looked up at the bright London sky.

It was going to be sunny again for a while, and rainy for the rest of the day.

Takumi crossed the street and walked toward the bus stop. He waited for a double decker and rode it toward the street that was near the hospital where Mai was still staying in.

He wanted to act immediately, but Mai's accident and hospital confinement delayed everything.

He wanted to get Mai out the minute he got to the hospital, but his hands were tied.

He arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later.

"Takumi-kun!" Mai greeted as she sat on her bed.

Takumi smiled. "Hey, Mai-chan," he said walking into the room and taking a seat on the chair next to her bed. "How are you?" he asked in Japanese.

Mai shrugged her shoulders and winced.

Takumi chuckled. "Idiot," he said.

"It's not that painful anymore though," Mai said sighing. "Have you had breakfast?"

Takumi smiled. "Of course," he said. "Have you?"

"Yup," Mai answered.

Takumi looked down. "So when are you getting out of here?"

Mai looked up, trying to remember the conversation she and Naru had with the doctor a week ago. "Um...I think I'll be out in about two weeks from now," she said.

Takumi nodded. "That's good. Do you have a place to stay?"

Mai chuckled. "I work for Mr. Mortimer, Takumi-kun," she said. "Have you forgotten that already?"

Takumi looked sadly at her. "You're still going back to his house?"

Mai smiled. "Mr. Mortimer's a good boss," she said. "And I heard Master Norringbent isn't there anymore. Mr. Mortimer will take me back to the mansion."

Takumi shook his head and looked away. "This is my fault. I should never have let you work for him," he muttered.

Mai raised her brows. "What are you talking about, Takumi-kun? **I** was the one who asked you to help me get here," she said. "And if you didn't help me work for Mr. Mortimer, I might be in some brothel now."

Takumi looked up at her. "But you're here in the hospital," he said. "You went into a coma. You broke your bones. You almost died!"

Mai smiled and took his hand in hers. "Takumi-kun, don't blame yourself," she said. "Things always happen for a reason."

Takumi sighed and raised Mai's hands to his cheeks. "Mai," he said looking seriously into her eyes. "I'm getting you out of here."

"What?"

"I'm getting you out of England," Takumi said. "I'm going to get you back home to Japan."

"Takumi-kun..."

Takumi leaned forward, his face just a few distances away from Mai's. "We'll go back to Japan – you and me."

Mai opened her mouth to speak.

But not a word came out.

* * *

><p>"Mai-chan's better?" Takigawa asked Yasuhara excitedly.<p>

"You better not be fooling around, Yasu," Ayako said glaring at a cheerful Yasuhara.

"Why would I lie about Mai-san?" Yasuhara said. "I care about her just as much as you do."

It was early morning and Yasuhara just arrived in the bar after a long out-of-town errand. Ayako and Takigawa went to the bar to give him a report on how the bar was while he wasn't around.

After hearing about the events that happened in the bar, Yasuhara told them about the news John told him when they met him in the airport,

"Naru even said he'll set up a date when we can call Mai," Yasuhara said. "Just like the last time. She's still recovering though so we can't just make her stay up too late in the evening right now."

Ayako and Takigawa sighed in relief.

"That's good," Ayako said. "And tell Naru I'll be more than willing to stay up late so Mai won't need to stay up in the evening in London just to talk to us."

"Me too," Takigawa said. "I'll schedule a leave for that date so I won't have any distractions."

Ayako scowled. "I'll schedule a leave from the hospital too," she said. "I doubt there would be any patient in need of surgery by then."

Takigawa smirked. "How sure are you that you won't have a valuable patient by then, huh?" he teased.

Ayako glared at Takigawa and after a moment of thought, smirked. "What about you? How sure are you that the bar won't be too busy and in need of your help by then?"

Takigawa shrugged his shoulders. "I know the bar's schedule," he said. "Besides, this will be the first time that I'll ask for a leave so there's no reason why it can't be approved."

Ayako chuckled. "Ah, and what if a talent scout joined the audience by then? You'd still take a leave from the stage?"

Takigawa frowned at Ayako. "What if a talent scout **won****'****t **be there?"

Ayako smirked. "But what if there **would** be one?"

"Are you saying I'd choose my career over Mai-chan? 'Cause you're wrong!"

"I'm merely giving you a probable scenario. But that's a good question. You really won't choose stardom over Mai-chan?"

Yasuhara chuckled, watching Takigawa and Ayako slowly leaning toward each other with each nasty retort they threw at one another.

"So was this, what caused you two to sleep cuddled to each other on the couch here in my office when I was away?" Yasuhara asked.

Takigawa and Ayako froze – blood filling up their cheeks.

They glared at Yasuhara. "WE WERE NOT CUDDLED TO EACH OTHER!" they yelled.

"He was being a pervert!" Ayako said at the same time Takigawa said, "She was being a pervert!"

They then glared at each other and began an endless game of 'You were being a pervert–No you were being a pervert.'

Yasuhara laughed and leaned back on his office chair and looked down at the thick envelope on his table.

He smirked.

"I wonder if I need to organize a welcome party," he muttered.

* * *

><p>"You have an appointment with a client later at 10," Lin said reading Oliver's schedule for the day<p>

Oliver was reading the small article published on the day's paper about a fire in a mental institution. According to the report, it was caused by a faulty electrical wiring in one of the rooms.

Lin stared at Oliver.

He knew he wasn't interested in whatever it was that he read from the planner. It was only hours away from Saturday and Oliver was more interested in visiting Mai.

Oliver folded the newspaper and looked at Lin. "I'll just make a call," he said leaning forward and reaching out for the mobile phone that he placed on his office table.

But it rang before he could pick it up.

Oliver held it against his ear. "Oliver," he said.

Lin watched as Oliver listened to whoever it was on the other line.

"I read it," he said. "...My sincere condolences."

Lin raised his browse.

Who died?

"I understand," Oliver said. "We'll be there. Thank you for informing me about this." He then placed the phone down on the table and stood up. "Take note of a burial service that we'll be attending tomorrow morning," he said.


	67. Chapter 67

_I know this line is getting really irritating in my ANs now, but I just can't help it. Bear with me please. I'm sorry about the last AN I wrote. I had no intention of hurting whoever or whatever gave me the idea to write it. I just felt like I had to let some things out. I really pondered on posting that AN about 20 hours before I posted it. _

_I'm sorry if I misunderstood the comment - must have been the keyboard messing words up (hehe) or my monitor blurring the letters (sorry, monitor) - but I thought about it again, looking at it from the perspective that my parents told me the comment was probably written from and...I still felt hurt. My bad I guess. But I still, thank you all for the comments. You all really helped me not only in writing stories, but also in developing my values in life. _

_I OWE YOU ALL SO MUCH _T v T

_So I'm uploading these next chapters. I can't promise what chapter will be the last, and when exactly you will see the last chapter for 'Key,' but I hope you still continue to read and review them. _

_*On the reviews for Chapt 66: I love your wild guesses ^_ v ^

* * *

><p>Charlotte walked out of the hotel – her Christian Loubotin cream studded platform slingback stilletoes clicking against the brick pavement. She elegantly walked down the street, letting her Dolce and Gabbana corset trench coat sway sophisticatedly with every step, practicing how she would entice Oliver into joining her for lunch.<p>

She was planning to see Oliver for the first time in weeks. After the big announcement that the professor made about Oliver being the heir to SPR, and about him being in charge of the next conference, gossips about Oliver leaving bachelorhood circulated in the scientific and social elite community.

It also made Oliver act more distantly toward people, especially toward Charlotte.

Charlotte sighed as she stopped to wait for the pedestrian lights to go green.

The fact that Masako sat with her and Oliver proved that Prof. Davis was also considering the thought of having the Japanese medium as a future daughter-in-law.

"Not going to happen," Charlotte muttered.

"What is not going to happen?" Masako asked suddenly standing beside her.

Charlotte stared shocked at her. "Shouldn't you be back in Japan by now?"

"I was," Masako said. "But I realized you needed to know something."

Charlotte smirked. "If you're planning on threatening me, go home," she said. "I'm not scared of anyone who can't even reach my shoulders."

Masako sighed. "Impossible," she said. She then looked down at Charlotte's shoes. "A rat! There's a rat!"

Charlotte shrieked. "Where? Where? Get it off!" She cried, jumping and looking around in fright.

Masako smiled. "Oops! I'm sorry. I thought that pebble there is a rat."

"There's no pebble there," Charlotte said staring at the pavement. She stiffened and glared at Masako.

Masako gracefully looked away. "Oh, my bad," she said. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything that couldn't even reach your shoulders."

"What do you want from me?"

Masako looked at Charlotte. "And here I thought you could think," she said.

"Don't you dare insult my mental capacity," Charlotte said. "You're looking at one of the greatest and youngest scientists of today."

Masako sighed. "Don't forget one of the most egotistic ones," she said before she faced Charlotte and looked deep into her eyes. "But I'll humour you. We need to talk, Ms. Weist."

"...About how you'll get married to Oliver?" Charlotte said. "Not going to happen, midget."

"I want to ask you whether you think me marrying Oliver or me telling you about it won't happen," Masako said. "But I think it's irrelevant right now. I want you to know something that you need to know about Oliver."

Charlotte smirked. "Oh so you're spilling whatever it is that you're using to blackmail Oliver into letting you hold him?"

Masako sighed. "If that would persuade you into talking to me about it, yes," she answered.

Charlotte sighed. "Fine," she said. "But this has to be quick. I'm meeting Oliver for lunch."

"Of course," Masako said walking to the nearest cafe. "...As if he would want to have lunch with you..."

"What did you say?"

Masako just smiled. "Let's have some coffee – it's on me."

* * *

><p>Florence walked into Mai's room with a basket of fruits in her hand.<p>

It was Saturday and Florence was expecting to see Oliver in the room later in the day.

"Good morning Mai!" Florence greeted.

"Good morning, Florence," Mai said.

She had lost the sling on her arm. She was scheduled to get out of the hospital in the next two weeks.

Florence raised a brow noticing how forced Mai's smile was. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the chair beside Mai's bed.

"You're not that happy," Florence said placing the basket on the table nearby. "What happened? Did you and Naru have a fight?"

"No," Mai said turning red at the thought of Naru.

She had forgotten that Naru would be there later in the day.

"I'm okay," Mai said looking at the basket on the table. "Thank you for the fruits."

Florence rolled her eyes. "Spill it, Mai-chan," she said. "I know when you're upset about something. I also have something to tell you."

Mai looked at Florence. "In that case, you go first," she said smiling cheerfully at her.

Florence chuckled. "Okay, but you **will** tell me about it after I tell you the latest gossip," she said.

Mai nodded.

Florence sighed. "This one is...well, I don't really know what this news is to you," Florence said.

Mai raised her brows.

* * *

><p>Oliver stood beside Oswald as the coffin was lowered to the grave.<p>

It was a simple and solemn ceremony, attended only by some of the servants in the Norringbent mansion, Oswald and a few guests namely Oliver and Lin.

When all that could be seen on the grave was the gravestone, the priest walked to Oswald and patted his shoulder, expressing his condolence.

Oswald nodded to the priest before he let the other servants go back to the mansion.

Oliver kept his place beside Oswald with Lin standing close behind him.

Oswald stared blankly at the gravestone for a few more moments before he spoke.

"Thank you," Oswald said.

Oliver kept his gaze on the gravestone.

Oswald then closed his eyes and turned away from the grave.

Lin noticed how lighter Oswald's face was. There was pain and grief, yes. But there was also relief.

"Will you two stay longer and have lunch with us?" Oswald asked Oliver and Lin.

"I'm afraid we have something scheduled to attend to in the next fifteen minutes," Lin answered.

They were asked to report to SPR to check some files.

Oliver nodded. "But Lin can attend to it on his own," he told Lin.

Lin raised his brows in surprise.

Oliver was shooing him?

"They don't require my presence," Oliver told Oswald.

"I see," he said. "Do come with me to the mansion then."

Oliver nodded and followed Oswald as he walked away from the grave.

Lin followed Oliver. "What will I tell the professor?" he whispered to Oliver.

"Tell him I met a previous client," Oliver said.

Lin sighed and nodded.

* * *

><p>Charlotte sat across Masako, checking her watch every two minutes as they waited for their coffe to be served.<p>

Masako watched her. "Oliver has a lunch out schedule with his parents today," she said.

Charlotte raised a brow at Masako.

"I already called the professor this morning," Masako said. "He said it was a family dinner. Even Mr. Lin and Ms. Mori won't be there."

Charlotte scowled. "They would surely make room for me," she said looking away.

"We are the reason why Oliver is upset with his parents," Masako said. "If they made room for you, Oliver won't dine with them."

"Impossible," Charlotte replied.

"Possible," Masako said. "Were you aware that Oliver spent the night in a hotel for two weeks after the conference?"

Charlotte stared surprised at Masako.

He did..?


	68. Chapter 68

"I asked Mrs. Davis," Masako said.

Charlotte snorted. She was busy at work for the last couple of weeks so she wasn't able to see Luella. But she did call her. Still, they didn't talk much about Oliver.

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Charlotte asked eyeing Masako boredly.

"No," Masako said. "I want to tell you why Oliver doesn't want us."

Charlotte chuckled. "**You** maybe, but not me," she said.

Masako ignored it. "You know Oliver doesn't want you with him just as much as he doesn't want me with him," she said. "And I'm here to tell you the reason behind it."

Charlotte guardedly watched Masako.

If Masako was trying to tell some gossip so she would let go of Oliver and let her have him, Masako was just wasting her time...and money since Masako was paying for the coffee.

Masako knew Charlotte wasn't willing to listen. But she had to tell her the truth.

She was already in Japan when she decided that she needed to do one more thing for Oliver.

The announcements made by the professor made Masako realize how serious things were.

Oliver's parents were trying to get him married so they could put SPR in his hands. They were forcing Oliver to take a bride who would give them grandchildren.

And they were pushing Oliver to spend the rest of his life with either Masako or Charlotte, despite the fact that he had chosen who he wanted to spend his life with.

Masako was more than willing to spend her life with him. But if it would only cause Oliver pain, she didn't want to do it.

And if Charlotte really loved Oliver, she believed Charlotte would also let him go.

"When Oliver disappeared that night in the conference's launching banquet," Masako began. "I was there with him. He answered a phone call. After that, he ran away from the banquet. Mr. Lin made him ride one of the Davis family's cars."

Charlotte just stared confused at Masako.

Oliver didn't feel well that night. That was why he was took a long vacation from his work.

"When he came back to the banquet," Masako continued. "Oliver was sickly."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed.

Was Masako telling her the truth?

"You know what happens to him when he uses his PK, don't you?" Masako asked.

Charlotte stared shocked at Masako.

What happened to Oliver that night?

* * *

><p>Oliver sipped the tea that the servants gave him.<p>

He and Oswald sat across each other on the third floor balcony overlooking a slice of the London view.

Oswald had his eyes fixed on the cup of tea in front of him.

"I realized that I must have known about it deep inside me," Oswald said.

Oliver looked up at him.

"I've always wished that he was my father. That way, I wasn't an orphan." Oswald smiled. "Funny. I never actually felt that I was an orphan. He always tried to play my fa... his part."

Oliver looked away.

Oswald sipped his tea. "It took me a few days to accept it all," he said. "I really can't blame you for hiding it from me. I would do the same thing if I was in your place."

Oliver looked at Oswald.

He meant it.

Oswald sighed. "I called him 'father,'" he said. "He stared at me. I thought he would ask me why I called him that way. I thought he would laugh at me. I thought he would think I lost my mind. But he..."

Oliver noticed tears form in Oswald's eyes.

Oswald quickly wiped his eyes to stop the blurring in his vision.

"He cried," Oswald said weakly. "He cried and called me his son. He cried and apologized for all the bad things that he did. He apologized for giving me such a burden for so many years."

Oliver felt sorry for Oswald.

The person Oswald spoke with was Oswald's father. Oliver was sure of it.

"I held him," Oswald said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he said chuckling. "I'm being too weak here."

"He is your father," Oliver said.

Oswald looked up at Oliver and nodded. "I left him in the room after that. I was more determined to keep him alive," Oswald told him. "Then we heard screams from his room. When we went in, he was in a nasty seizure. The light was switched on but the light bulb was shattered on the floor."

Oliver knew by then what had happened.

"He was talking, but his voice was different," Oswald continued. "I never saw him that way before. He looked more like a monster than a man. When he saw me, he tried to attack me. He was yelling profanities at me – telling me that I was stupid to call him my father. But before he could get hold of me, his voice changed back and he just yelled 'burn me.' I never wanted to do it. I didn't want to do it."

Oliver looked reassuringly at him. He knew how Oswald cared for his father.

"His voice changed again and he tried to attack me once more," Oswald said. "I thought I was going to die there. The next thing I knew, people were shouting and pulling me away. They were splashing water on him...and a fire..." Oswald covered his face. His shoulders were shaking.

Oliver sighed.

Was he still mad at Norringbent?

* * *

><p>Mai stared shocked at Florence. Tears rolled down her cheeks.<p>

Florence told her how Norringbent was killed in a fire in the asylum, and how he was laid to rest that morning.

Mai wiped her tears and looked down on her lap.

Florence pulled Mai into a hug.

"He...He didn't mean it," Mai struggled to speak. "It wasn't him. It wasn't him, Florence."

"I know," Florence said. "We all know. Master Mortimer knows that too, and he's devastated. But look at it this way. At least, he's in a more peaceful place now, right?"

Mai nodded, trying hard to stop herself from crying.

Florence kissed her forehead. "There's another thing I need to tell you," she said.

Mai looked up at Florence.

* * *

><p>"Oliver didn't stay in the house to recuperate," Masako told Charlotte. "He didn't stay much in the house at all. He stayed in the hospital."<p>

Charlotte sat stunned at Masako.

Oliver was confined in the hospital?

"He slept beside a person who was confined in the hospital," Masako said. "A girl he met two years ago, when he went to Japan."

Charlotte stiffened.

Oliver's claim about knowing someone who was suited to be his bride...the SPR branch in Japan...

"Her name is Mai Davis," Masako said.

Charlotte felt her heart stop beating.

* * *

><p>"What are you planning to do now?" Oliver asked after Oswald calmed himself.<p>

Oswald shakily sipped his tea – eyes red from sobbing. "I'm planning on moving to another place with all the servants," he answered. "I'm thinking of settling in Rouen. I want to start a new life. I want to make up for all the things I made against our servants. I've already sought help on how to give them legal documents, and proper employee benefits."

* * *

><p>"So we're moving to another town?" Mai asked.<p>

Florence sat in front of Mai. "More like another country," she said uneasily. "Master Mortimer is planning on moving to Master Norringbent's mansion in Rouen. It's in France. Mai-chan I...I can't leave London. Edmund doesn't have enough money to get out of town, more so, go out of the country. He won't be able to follow me, and I don't think we can handle this kind of long distance relationship. We've been officially together for three years now. We've been friends for five."

Mai chuckled. "I understand," she said.

Florence sighed. "Mai, Edmund...Edmund asked me to marry him."

Mai gasped in excitement. "You said 'yes,' didn't you? Please tell me you said 'yes!'"

Florence chuckled. "I did," she said. "I have to admit that he already grew on me."

Mai laughed and quickly hugged Florence. "Oh Florence, you deserve each other! I'm so happy for you!"

Florence hugged Mai back. "Thank you, Mai," she said. "We're planning to sneak away from Master Mortimer while he's busy boarding everyone in the train. And I need to ask you something."

Mai looked up at Florence.

"Will you come and stay with us?" Florence asked. "We already have an apartment the three of us can live in!"

Mai smiled sadly at Florence. "I want to, I do but..."

"But..?"


	69. Chapter 69

Mai sighed and looked away. "You two need to be with each other," she said. She looked up at Florence again. "...Just the two of you."

Florence frowned. "If you're thinking about you being a burden, you're not being one," Florence said. "You're family to us, Mai."

Mai smiled. "Thank you," she said. "You're family to me too. And believe me, I'm really honoured that you asked me to live with you. But don't you need to have a honeymoon after your marriage?"

Florence rolled her eyes. "Honeymoon is for rich people," she said. "Besides, what is that going to do with you staying with us?"

Mai chuckled. "I just want you two to experience being with each other. That's what married people do, right? Two is a couple and three is a crowd."

Florence frowned. "We're not a crowd. We're a family."

Mai sighed and hugged Florence. "I really want to stay with you two," Mai said. "But there is...There...I..." Mai sighed.

Florence held her close. "This is what is making you not happy," she said. "Tell me what it is."

Mai nodded. "Takumi visited me yesterday," she said. "He told me he'll take me back to Japan with him when I get out of the hospital."

Florence stiffened. "How exactly will he do that?" she asked. "Don't tell me he's going to kidnap you. Naru won't like this."

Mai wanted to shrink.

She forgot how Naru would feel about Takumi's plan.

Florence made Mai look up at her. "Do you want to go back to Japan?" she asked. "I'll understand if that's the reason why you don't want to stay with me and Edmund."

Mai tried to smile.

She wanted to stay with Florence, yes. But she missed her home – her crammed apartment, the street she walked on every morning, her friends in school, Emi and her family, little Shiro-kun and his caring parents, Haruka-san and her tea shop, Ayako and her reprimands, Takigawa and his jokes, Yasuhara and his witts...Naru...Naru and his snobbishness – the Naru she lived with and knew in Japan.

But Naru wasn't really Naru. He was Oliver Davis, and he lived in England, not Japan.

Mai won't see Naru in Japan. Even if he went back to Japan with her, Naru will still be Oliver Davis.

She remembered when Takumi held her hand yesterday.

"We'll start a new life," Takumi said gazing deeply into Mai's brown eyes. "I'll have a decent job. You'll go study in the university. We'll find a scholarship for you. You're a good student Mai. It won't be hard to do."

Mai didn't know what to tell him.

Did she want that new life with Takumi?

Takumi held Mai's face. "I know this is all too sudden," he said. "You can think about it first. I just want you to know that I want to save you from all this. You don't deserve to work as a maid. You can be more than that. You don't deserve to get hurt like this. This is my fault. I want to make it up to you. I want to help you live your dreams. I want...I want to be with you..."

Mai stiffened. She then felt Takumi's lips against her forehead.

Mai winced and buried her head closer to Florence's chest.

Should she go with Takumi?

* * *

><p>Charlotte stared blankly at her cup of coffee. Masako watched her as she sipped her tea.<p>

Mai Davis.

Charlotte chuckled. "You're saying I'm chasing after a married man?" she said.

Masako just stared at her.

Of course her only proof that Oliver was married was that name on Room 503. And Oliver didn't explain why the girl used his surname.

Perhaps he wasn't married. But wasn't the fact that he slept cosily on her bed – arm wound around her and hand clasped tightly with the girl – was enough to prove that he loved her, right?

Mai Davis owned Oliver Davis' heart.

Charlotte looked at Masako. "I don't know what you saw there," she began. "I don't know what Oliver told you. If Oliver's parents insist that he pick a bride between us, that means, they don't think she's a suitable wife."

"Don't you get it?" Masako said closing her hands into tight fists. "Oliver's heart belongs to someone else! Even if he ends up picking a bride between us to appeace his parents, he will never love us!"

Charlotte noticed how moist Masako's eyes were.

It hurt her – learning that Oliver did have someone in mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, pained Charlotte.

She had always liked Oliver. Students in the university feared him as a professor but only because he didn't joke around or smile much. He was a great educator. He imparted knowledge and understanding in such a way that the most complex theories and calculations seemed like simple stories and solutions.

The students who failed his subjects were students who were too enthralled at his beauty to care about what he discussed.

Oliver was fair. He graded them based on how they performed in his class.

Yes, she was one of those students who thought good looks could persuade him.

She still remembered that time when she tried to seduced him in his office - sat on his lap, loosened his tie, breathed against his neck.

She still remembered how apathetic his face was at that moment...how he held her wrists tight and pushed her on the table...how he looked at her in the eye and said, "I don't like disrespecting women, Ms. Weist. If you want to be disrespected, find someone else."

Oliver left his office after that. He told no one abou the encounter. He didn't treat her differently the next day.

It was one of the reasons why she decided that she loved him - that she would love him and be the only one to whom he would be free to act as his true self.

Charlotte stood up. "This conversation is over," she said leaving money on the table. "I appreciate your effort to tell me this."

Masako stood up. "I'm paying," she said.

Charlotte shook her head. "Consider this as a 'thank you'."

Masako frowned. "But you didn't get my point," she said.

"I did," Charlotte said looking straight into Masako's eyes. "I understand what you're doing and why. But I'm not going to give Oliver up - not yet. If this Mai deserves Oliver more than I do, she has to prove it herself."

Masako stared confused at Charlotte. "Oliver won't love you," she said. "He won't love us."

Charlotte smiled. "My father didn't like my mother when they got married," she said. "Two years after the wedding, they made me. And they are still together now. True love is learned, not seen."

Charlotte turned away and walked away from the cafe leaving a surprised Masako.

So...there was still hope?

* * *

><p>"I invited you to stay here longer for a reason," Oswald told Oliver.<p>

Oliver kept his eyes on him.

"I know you want to talk to me about this later, but I know how you are feeling now," Oswald said. "And I want to help you like you helped me and my father."

Oliver sipped his tea.

"I understand that you share a special bond with Mai," Oswald began. "I know your parents know nothing about her. I am planning on taking her out of the country with us."

Oliver looked at Oswald.

"Mai would be safer out of the country," Oliver said.


	70. Chapter 70

"Where is Noll?" the professor asked Lin.

Lin arrived in the office and immediately looked for Madoka, partly because he wanted to see her again and mostly because he didn't want to lie to Martin and Luella.

Well, he wouldn't be lying if he told them what Noll ordered him to tell them, right? Oswald Mortimer **was** a previous client.

Lin kept his face straight and looked at the professor who was suddenly standing in front of him, just a few steps away from Madoka's office.

He was about to open the door when Martin greeted him and asked him a question concerning the great Oliver Davis.

"He met a previous client," Lin answered. Of course it wasn't that convincing. "Mr. Oswald Mortimer," he added.

"Oh," Martin said remembering the name. "He owned the mental institution in the news, yes?"

"The one that had a fire accident, yes," Lin answered.

"And his uncle died in the fire," Martin said. "Was that the burial service that you two attended this morning?"

"Yes," Lin said. "Mr. Mortimer didn't have much friends and he wanted to catch up with Noll."

Martin nodded. "Yes, I recall him now," he said. "He was the lawyer and nephew of Elbert Norringbent. I'll pay my respects to his uncle later this week."

Lin nodded.

"Will Noll join us for lunch?" Martin asked.

"I haven't spoken to him again," Lin answered. "But I will ask him now," he said pulling out his mobile phone from his pocket.

Martin smiled. "Thank you, Lin. I'll be in my office," he said before walking away.

It was only when Martin disappeared in the hallway that Lin sighed in relief.

"What is that about?" Madoka asked looking at Lin from the doorway of her office.

Lin stared surprised at Madoka for a moment. "How long have you been there?" he asked.

Madoka shrugged her shoulders – folders in hand. "I just opened the door," she said. "Then I saw you sigh. Did something happen?"

Lin sighed again. "Are you busy?"

Madoka chuckled. "Is this going to be a date?"

"If making it one will persuade you to go out of the office with me now, yes."

Madoka laughed. "Let me just file these in Luella's office first and we'll go out to the park."

Lin nodded and walked Madoka to Luella's office.

* * *

><p>Oliver walked down the hallway of the hospital.<p>

Mai's release from confinement was delayed because of her broken bones. She could still barely stand on her own, but her determination to get better was sure to help her make a drastic recovery.

At least it was the last week that he would walk down the hospital hall...or was it the last day?

He spotted the door of Room 503 and soon saw Florence walking out of the room – head bowed and face anxious.

She looked up and quickly noticed Oliver. "Oliver," she said closing the door behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Oliver asked.

Florence looked at the room. "I need to tell you something," she said before looking back at Oliver. "You went to the burial service, yes? Has Master Mortimer informed you of his plans?"

"Yes," Oliver answered.

"Good," Florence said. "I need to tell you something about Mai."

* * *

><p>Lin sat down beside Madoka on the park bench.<p>

They watched the tourists take pictures of the trees as they walked down the path.

"So what happened?" Madoka asked looking up at Lin.

"Noll stayed with Mr. Mortimer after the burial service," he said.

Madoka nodded. "You think they'll be banging in a hotel?"

Lin stared shocked at Madoka.

Madoka chuckled. "You should have seen your face! That was priceless!"

Lin sighed and shook his head. He looked away. "Madoka, this is not a laughing matter."

"...Which one?" Madoka asked. "...Noll's gender? Or your face?"

Lin looked at Madoka. "Noll," he answered.

Madoka shrugged her shoulders. "Noll is head over heels in love with Mai," she said. "I doubt he'll go gay to comfort Mr. Mortimer."

Lin scowled. "Madoka..."

Madoka chuckled. "Can you imagine Noll being gay?"

Lin slapped his face.

Madoka laughed and leaned her head on his arm. "I was just trying to lighten things up, Koujo," she said.

Lin sighed. "I know," he said looking at Madoka. "I just can't laugh at things at the moment."

Madoka looked at Lin. "Why are you bothered by Noll's meeting with Mr. Mortimer?"

Lin sighed. "That's the thing," he said. "I don't know. I just keep having this feeling that something is going on and that I have to do something about it, but I have no idea what that thing that is going on, is."

Madoka nodded. "That's your intuition, Koujo."

Lin looked at Madoka. "Do you think I should listen to it?"

"If you listen to it, what will you do?" Madoka asked.

Lin looked away.

She was right. What was he going to do to stop whatever it was that was brewing?

Madoka slid her hand in Lin's. "Koujo," she began. "Do you really think Mai is bad for Noll?"

Lin sighed and held her hand. "Madoka, you know I don't want to comment on that."

Madoka twined her fingers with Lin's. "But answering this question is the only way to solve your problem right now."

Lin looked at Madoka. He sadly stared deep into her eyes.

Madoka smiled and kissed his lips. "Do you think Mai will kill Noll?"

"No," Lin strongly answered. A girl as frail and id...never mind.

Madoka chuckled and leaned closer to Lin.

Lin let Madoka's hand go and wrapped his arm around her.

"Do you think Mai doesn't love Noll?" Madoka asked.

Lin looked away.

He remembered how Mai looked at Noll in the hospital – how she treated him.

Yes. Mai loved him. And just like Noll, she was yet to admit it to herself.

Lin smirked.

Madoka chuckled. "They're both idiots, aren't they?"

"Yes," Lin answered.

"And they're perfect for each other," Madoka said.

"Ye...Wait," Lin said looking at Madoka. "What about the professor? What about Luella? What about Noll's parents?"

"Koujo, if your parents told you to leave me, would you leave me?"

"No," Lin said. "Why would they even say that? They love you."

Madoka chuckled and hugged Lin. "I'm just trying to put us in Noll's shoes here," she said. "Your family won't want anything bad to happen to you, just as much as Noll's parents won't for him."

Lin looked away.

Madoka was right.

Madoka smiled. "Would you leave me, if you were in Noll's place?"

"No," Lin said. "But you're not Mai. And my family knows you. I've introduced you to them."

"But if you haven't done so yet," Madoka said. "And if I was Mai, you – Noll. Your family wants you to marry someone you don't want to marry. No matter what you say, you know they won't approve of me, Will you leave me, Koujo?"

"No," Lin said. "If nothing I do will make them accept you, I'd runaway with you and prove them that I want no one else but you."

Lin stiffened.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Koujo!" Madoka said embracing him tighter and kissing his cheek.

"Madoka," Lin said – eyes wide in shock.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Noll will runaway with Mai?"


	71. Chapter 71

_I just have to make this shout out because it's still overwhelming me... You made me so happy,_ **JayEyedWolf**! _I really want to tell you 'you guessed it right!' But I can't lie to you. I'm not a professional writer. And I do hope what you said in your review comes true. If that happens, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND HUG YOU AND KISS YOU AND TELL EVERYONE 'This person saw my future!' Hehehe. ~sigh~ I really want that dream to come true. But theire dreams so..._

_ANYWAY, thank you ALL for reading and reviewing 'Key.' I'm really happy that you're still enjoying the story. Any guesses on what the ending for 'Key' is going to be? hehehe... _

_Here are the next chapters for 'Key.' Do tell me what you think about it _^ v ^

_***Ghost Hunt is not mine.***_

* * *

><p>Mai lay flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling.<p>

Did she want to go home to Japan with Takumi? Did she want to stay in England with Florence and Edmund? Did she want to go with Master Mortimer?

She sighed.

If she went back to Japan, she would see Ayako, Takigawa, Haruka-san, Emi, Shiro-kun, and Yasuhara again.

She would hopefully be able to work in the bar with Yasuhara, and in the tea shop with Haruka-san. She would hopefully be able to find another apartment.

She still had some of her savings left in her bag somewhere. Hopefully it was enough to help her get another place to live in.

If she went back to Japan with Takumi, she would be able to visit her parents whenever she pleased. She would be home...

...If she went back to Japan with Takumi...with Takumi...

She remembered how Takumi's lips felt against her forehead.

She bit her index finger until it felt numb.

Naru would never do such a thing...wait. He did.

She remembered that day when Naru decided to go back to his home after spending several nights in the hospital.

"Idiot," Naru muttered as he zipped his bag.

They were the only people in the room and they were having a conversation about how Mai should act when he wasn't around to make sure that she heeded to the doctor's advice.

Mai frowned. "I am not an idiot!," she said leaning forward in irritation.

When was he going to acknowledge the fact that she wasn't **that** stupid?

Naru didn't respond. He just fixed his coat.

Mai sighed as she watched him fix his clothes. He was really leaving.

Naru looked at her and sighed. "Idiot," he muttered.

Mai frowned. "What now? I didn't say anything to you!"

Naru walked closer to her and held her hand in his. "I'm doing what you've been telling me to do," he said. "And you look like someone's dying. You want me too much."

Mai glared at Naru. "Jerk!" she said, leaning further and pulling her injured arm in the process.

But before she felt the sting of moving her broken arm, she felt a soft push steady her shoulder...and something soft and warm press against her forehead.

She gasped.

She thought it would stop the moment Naru heard her gasp. But it didn't.

Mai's cheeks were warm and flushed. Blood raced through her veins. Her eyelids fell shut.

She felt his lips pull hesitantly away from her forehead...and her eyes opening weakly to look at him.

Naru watched her...warmly.

Mai felt her heart pound against her chest.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, squeezing her hand one last time before he turned away from her and let her hand go.

And she did see him the next day.

Mai sighed at the memory. The experience was the same...yet it felt so different.

When Takumi kissed her forehead, she felt confusion and shock.

When Naru kissed her forehead, she felt confusion and shock...and warmth.

Mai winced.

She had to wake up though. There was no reason why she shouldn't go with Takumi.

If Naru was the only reason why she was thinking twice about going back to Japan with Takumi, then she should just go with Takumi. Naru had a life in England. He had a home, a family, a career…something he didn't have in Japan.

There was no reason for Naru to go back to Japan with her. The country would only remind him of his twin brother's demise.

Why did she even think that he would want to go back to Japan with her? Because he spent time with her a lot when he learned that she was in England? Because he got her to the hospital when she almost died? …Because he gave her a necklace?

Why did he give it to her?

Mai sighed.

There was no use believing in false assumptions.

Why would Naru want her? She was an 'idiot.'

The only reason why Naru stayed with her in Japan was because he needed a place to stay…or was it because he loved her tea? Either way, Naru did those things not because he really wanted her.

He owed her a lot, and no matter how much she insisted that she didn't help him to get something else in return, he would still make an effort to give those kind deeds back because not doing so would hurt his pride.

Mai took a deep breath and placed her arm over her moist eyes.

Naru was being kind and sweet to her because he believed he owed her a lot. He stayed in the hospital with her because he pitied her. He cared for her because she cared for him.

Mai felt like a deep hole was forming inside her chest. She felt hallow, and heavy…and pained.

She wiped her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

There was no reason why she should ponder on such matters. The only option she had was going to France as a maid for Oswald Mortimer and going to Japan with Takumi.

Being with Florence and Edmund was out of the question. She loved them, yes, but they needed time to be together and make their own family. She would only be a third wheeler if she stayed with them – another mouth to feed...another lodger.

So which was it? ...France or Japan?

She wanted to go home. Though the thought of going back without Naru felt heavy and painful, Japan was her home.

...And Takumi…

Mai sighed. "Takumi-kun…"

* * *

><p>Oliver looked away from Florence – his face straight and apathetic.<p>

Florence watched him carefully. "Are you...upset with Mai?"

"She's an idiot," Oliver answered.

Florence sighed.

They spoke for more than fifteen minutes outside Mai's room.

"She's scared of being a burden to you," Florence said. "You know that, yes?"

Oliver looked at Florence. "Like I said," he answered. "She's an idiot." He then turned to the door and held the doorknob.

Florence nodded and walked away.

She didn't think she would see such pain in Oliver's eyes.

Oliver took a deep breath and sighed. He wanted to snap at Mai for thinking about things she should never think about.

…But the thought of yelling at her, of seeing her hurt, of seeing tears sliding down her cheeks…pained him… He didn't hate her. He wasn't angry at her either. He was just…annoyed that Mai was…being an idiot.

Oliver closed his eyes and wiped the water blurring his vision.

Come to think of it, he was also being an idiot.

They were the perfect couple.


	72. Chapter 72

Mai heard a click on the door and immediately sat up to see who it was.

Naru walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Naru," Mai greeted, smiling at him.

Naru looked at her – his face as apathetic as always.

He sat down on the chair beside Mai's bed.

"Master Norringbent," Mai began sadly.

"I know," Naru said. "I was in the funeral."

Mai nodded. "He didn't want to do those things," she said.

Naru didn't say anything. He just stared at nowhere.

"He was just…forced to do it," Mai continued. "Do…Do you think..."

"Mai."

Mai raised her brows at Naru. He just stared at her.

Mai looked away, feeling blood fill her cheeks.

Naru didn't like to talk about it.

"How…How was your week?" Mai asked trying to smile cheerfully at him.

Naru didn't answer.

Mai stared at him, unsure if her question was right.

"Naru," Mai said looking anxiously at him. "Are you alright?"

No, Naru was not alright. He wanted to do so many things – all of which were irrational and illogical.

Going into the room to face her after his conversation with Florence felt like a huge mistake.

Naru looked away and pulled out his mobile phone. "You miss them," Naru said.

Mai raised her brows at Naru. "Who..?"

Naru's fingers were already dialing a number. Mai was hearing a loud ringing sound in a matter of seconds.

"Hello, Naru?" a familiar voice asked from the other line.

Mai gasped in surprise. "Yasu?" she asked.

"Mai-chan? Hey!"

Naru watched Mai's eyes stare at the mobile phone in his hand as a bunch of yelling background noise echoed in the loud speaker.

"That's Mai-chan?" cried Takigawa. "Mai-chan!"

"Hand me the phone," yelled Ayako. "Mai-chan, are you alright? Yasu! Give me the phone!"

"No, give **me** the phone," Takigawa shouted. "I haven't spoken to her in months!"

"We **all** haven't spoken to her in months," Ayako retorted. "Wait for your turn!"

Yasuhara's laughter echoed in the room. "I'm so sorry you're hearing this, Mai-chan," he said.

Naru knew Mai didn't mind the noise. He gazed at the tears sliding down her face. She kept her lips shut to avoid giving Yasuhara, Ayako and Takigawa a hint that she was crying.

After a moment of listening to the loud bickering on the other line, Mai smiled. "How are you? I missed you," she said, her voice almost breaking and giving her away.

"We missed you too, Mai-chan!" Takigawa yelled. "I missed you most!"

"No, he didn't," Ayako shouted. "I missed you the most! What on earth happened to you anyway? Why did you get confined in a hospital? Didn't I tell you to take care of yourself? You never learn, do you?"

"You're nagging at her again," Takigawa said. "Give her a break! She just recovered."

"I just want to know what happened," Ayako said. "Is that a crime?"

"It is if you're making her deaf in the process," Takigawa answered.

"Why you stupid perverted Monk!"

Mai chuckled, tears pouring down her face.

Naru placed the phone on her bed and stood up.

The next thing Mai knew was seeing Naru's chest close to her face and feeling his arms holding her.

Mai felt confused and shocked, and…something was wrong.

Naru held her close to him. He pulled her closer to his chest and breathed against her neck. He closed his eyes and listened to Mai's heartbeat.

Mai couldn't help but let the tears stream down her face.

Something felt off...terribly off.

She felt like he was saying goodbye…like she was losing him.

...Like She was losing him for good.

Mai pulled Naru closer to her, burying her face on his chest and letting it muffle her cries. Her fingers clutched him tightly as if he would vanish in thin air if she didn't hold on to him.

Naru leaned his head closer to Mai's and slowly kissed her cheek.

"…Na…ru…"

* * *

><p>Lin walked down the hall of the Davis house's second floor, looking out for anyone who might notice him.<p>

Martin, Luella and Oliver were having a family dinner in a restaurant somewhere in town. Lin, as Oliver's personal assistant, had his own room in the house just as Madoka did when she taught Oliver and Gene about the tasks that SPR did.

But Lin wasn't walking toward his room.

He spotted the door he was looking for and using a spare key that the professor gave him, unlocked it and pushed it open.

Upon realizing that it was really possible for Oliver to plan on eloping with Mai, he asked the professor to allow him to check Oliver's things – if they were packed or not.

Afraid of losing Oliver again, Martin permitted it.

Lin checked the wardrobe, the drawers, the space under Oliver's bed, the space behind the door...basically anywhere he might hide his stuffed luggage.

After a few minutes of searching he found Oliver's luggage hidden deep inside the wardrobe.

Lin quickly pulled it out and checked its contents.

It had none.

He checked Oliver's other bags and briefcases.

He saw folders and papers.

He also found Oliver's passport, but it was hidden in a way that made Lin feel sure that Oliver wasn't planning to take it out of the bedroom.

He checked the documents, the files, and other places where an airplane ticket could be stowed away.

He found none.

Was Oliver really not planning anything? Had Lin just panicked over nothing?

Or did Oliver know Lin would check his things? Did Oliver hide the ticket somewhere Lin wouldn't find it? Or did he plan on buying a ticket after Lin confirmed that he had no plan to leave?

Lin sighed and stared at the neat room. He put everything back the way he saw it earlier.

So Oliver wasn't planning on leaving with Mai. What then was he planning to do? Was he planning on letting Mai go?


	73. Chapter 73

_Just read a Ghost Hunt Vol. 12 English spoiler_ T - T

_Anyway, I am so sorry I was a bit vague on the description on Mai and Naru's moment in the hospital. I doubt the Naru in this story would actually do something that...intimate with Mai in a hospital though. _

_Thank you all so much for those awesome reviews! Nice guess, everyone! Those were really interesting suggestions for the ending. _

_Here's another chapter for 'Key.' Do tell me what you think about it! _ ^ v ^ _Ghost Hunt is not mine. _

* * *

><p>Takumi browsed the overcoat racks, feeling the texture of every coat with his hands.<p>

He needed to buy a set of clothes that would last for at least two weeks.

It was a few days ago when Edmund told him about Oswald Mortimer's plan of moving his household to France, and how Edmund devised a plan to elope with Florence while the household boarded the train in St. Pancras.

He heard that Florence offered Mai to stay with them, but she declined saying that the couple needed to enjoy each other's company.

When Takumi learned about this particular fact, he felt excited. He somehow felt that he had convinced Mai to trust him.

Takumi pulled out a coat and examined its cut and fit.

Mai would want to join him in his trip back to Japan. She wanted to go back to Japan with him. There was no other reason for Mai to decline Florence's offer.

Takumi smiled, satisfied at the coat. He browsed the rack again for another coat.

Perhaps he should visit her before she goes out of the hospital, to reassure her that she made the right decision in accepting his offer.

Takumi sighed – the smile still on his face as he examined another overcoat.

He had everything planned in his head. His resume was ready. He was going to have a decent job in Japan. He was going to provide for Mai. He also already prepared some papers that Mai would need for a university scholarship.

Takumi pulled the coat out of the rack and stared at it.

The coat was his to keep.

* * *

><p>Mai took a deep breath and sighed as she stood near the window.<p>

She was dressed in a thick turtleneck sweater and jeans. She also wore a pair of leather boots that Oswald Mortimer gave in exchange for the shoes she lost in the incident that almost killed her.

Mai smiled at the bright sun.

It was Monday – the day she was going to leave the hospital. She was supposed to be released the next day but she wanted to go back to the mansion immediately.

She knew the hospital bills were huge and she didn't want Oswald to pay for more than he already had for her sake.

Mai stared at her reflection on the moist glass window and noticed the glint on the gold key hanging from her necklace.

Naru didn't visit her again after that afternoon – that afternoon when she spoke to Ayako and the others through his phone...that afternoon when he held her tight and kissed her...

Mai tried to smile at her sad reflection.

She didn't remember how long she cried on his chest, how long he held her tight against him, nor how they decided to let each other go.

He didn't promise that he would come back. That was what she did remember.

…So she had no reason to feel disappointed about not seeing him for a long time after that afternoon.

Besides, she was leaving London soon. Since the doctors said she was good to go and travel, Oswald decided that their trip to France could be scheduled Friday that same week.

She had about five days to spend with Naru…or with her memories of him.

"Mai-chan?"

Mai jolted to look at who called her and found Takumi standing by the door. "Takumi-kun!"

Takumi smiled. "Hey," he said. "I'm sorry I scared you," he said in Japanese.

Mai smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. Are you here to visit me? I'm going to be out of the hospital today. Florence and Edmund are with Master Mortimer downstairs, fixing my papers."

Takumi chuckled. "I noticed," he said. "You're not wearing your hospital gown anymore. I thought you were supposed to get out tomorrow."

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I can move my shoulders and legs now," she said. "And Master Mortimer has already spent too much for me."

Takumi stiffened. "He...has? Oh yes, you're right. He has."

Mai nodded and walked toward her bed. She sat on it and invited Takumi to sit with her.

Takumi did as she asked.

"I don't actually know why Master Norringbent chose to have me confined in a private intensive care unit," she said. "And why he kept me in a private room even after I woke up."

Takumi nodded.

...So no one told her...not even Florence...

"Maybe he felt guilty," he said. "I heard he was the one who brought Mr. Norringbent there."

"But he didn't get Master Norringbent so I could get hurt," Mai said. "It's not his fault."

Takumi sighed. "Legally, Mai," he began. "Mr. Mortimer could be sued for your physical injuries."

"I won't sue him though," she said. "I won't sue him even if I didn't stay in a private room here in the hospital."

Takumi chuckled. "Either you're being too kind, or you're being an idiot."

"WHAT?"

Takumi raised his hands up. "Nothing," he said. "You're just...oh well. That's really who you are," he said scratching his head.

Mai rolled her eyes.

"So...Is Naru going to be around?"

Mai stared shocked at Takumi.

When did he learn about Naru being in England?

Takumi chuckled. "I knew he lived somewhere here in England," he said.

"But how did you..?"

"I saw him once when I was here to visit you," Takumi answered.

Mai nodded slowly and looked shyly away.

"You didn't tell me about him," Takumi said.

Mai couldn't look at him. What reason was she going to give?

"Was it because you two were..?"

"NO!" Mai quickly said. "How many times do I have to explain that there's really nothing between us!" she said – face warm and flushed.

Takumi stared surprised at her for a moment before he burst into laughter. "Sure! Sure," he said. "There's nothing between you."

Mai sighed and looked sadly away. "There's really nothing," she muttered.

Takumi gazed at her and smiled. "But you wish there was," he said.

Mai gasped and glared at Takumi. "NO WAY! He's a huge JERK!"

Takumi rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine," he said. "So you're coming with me to Japan? You won't regret it, I promise! I already have a place where we can stay. I have enough money to pay for it too. It's not as small as the one you lived in before. It's even bigger than my place! It has two rooms so you don't have to be scared about…you know. I respect you, Mai-chan. I do!"

Mai smiled.


	74. Chapter 74

"I know," she said. "And thank you so much for all of this. But I…" Mai took a deep breath and sighed. "Master Mortimer needs me."

Takumi stared confused at Mai.

"Master Mortimer lost his only family," she said. "Master Norringbent passed away just a few weeks ago."

"I know," Takumi said. "Edmund told me that too. What does that have to do with your employer needing you?"

"The household is the only family left to him," Mai said. "Me, the other housemaids, the gardeners, the butler…"

"Mai, Florence is eloping with Edmund," Takumi reasoned. "You don't have to stay there just because you think you owede him so much money."

Mai shook her head. "That's not it! Takumi-kun, I just can't go back to Japan…Not yet…"

Takumi sighed and looked sadly at Mai. "It's Naru, isn't it? You don't want to go back to Japan because he won't be there with you."

"What..? NO! Takumi-kun, Naru won't be in France either!"

"Then why not just come home with me?" Takumi asked, holding her hand tight in his.

Mai froze.

She wanted to go home to Japan, but she already lost the apartment she called home.

It felt…wrong…going back to Japan didn't feel like going back home.

Something in her heart told her she shouldn't …She **couldn****'****t**go to Japan. Not yet…

Mai bowed her head. "Trust me, I want to be with everyone again," she said. "But there's just something…something…"

Takumi placed his palm on her chest to feel her heart beat.

Mai shyly looked up at Takumi - her cheeks flushed.

"Can…Can't I…Can I be the substitute for that something..?" Takumi asked.

Mai stared surprised at Takumi.

She didn't know what to say.

Takumi sighed and pulled her to his chest. He held her close and kissed her hair. "Don't forget me, okay?" he said, tears sliding down his tightly shut eyes.

Mai froze. It took her a moment to relax and wrap her arms around Takumi.

…If only she knew what she needed to do to make herself want to go back to Japan for Takumi…

* * *

><p>Lin watched Oliver read something from his tablet PC.<p>

Oliver had not gone to the hospital for quite a long time. And as far as Lin knew, he also hadn't called Mai on his mobile phone.

Lin was wondering if they had some kind of lovers' quarrel.

He doubted it though.

He couldn't think of something that Oliver would hate Mai for.

…Other than idiocy…But Oliver **loved** her idiocy. He loved everything about her. That was why she was that important to him.

Lin remembered what he heard from Florence when he saw her in the market place.

Oswald was moving to France with his servants. That would most probably include Mai.

Did Oliver offer Mai a chance to stay in London with him? Did Mai prefer to go with Oswald?

The latter was highly probable. Mai would want to give back Oswald's kindness to her, especially since she thought Oswald was the one who paid for her hospital expenses.

Well if that was the only reason stopping Mai, Oliver could always just tell her that he was the one who paid for everything.

So was his theory about Oliver putting distance between him and Mai correct?

Or did Oliver finally realize that his father was right? …That Mai didn't have the capacity to live as a Davis.

…That Oliver should focus his attention toward other women that his parents would surely like for him.

"I saw Florence in the market place the other day," Lin said, breaking the silence in Oliver's office.

Oliver didn't respond. He kept his eyes on the texts of the file that he was reading.

"She told me Mr. Mortimer was moving to France with his household," Lin continued. "Is Mai going to France with them?"

Oliver ran the tip of his finger across the screen of the tablet PC. "She's part of the household, isn't she?"

Lin eyed Oliver carefully. "I just thought you would stop her from going away from you."

"Why would I do that?" Oliver asked his eyes still busy with what he was reading.

"You…care for her, don't you?" Lin asked.

Oliver looked up at Lin. "For a scientist, you assume too much," he said.

Lin looked away.

So Oliver was letting Mai go.

He had to admit that surprised him.

* * *

><p>"I received a case about a haunting in Zurich," Martin said slicing the piece of roasted chicken on his plate.<p>

The family, with Lin and Madoka, were having dinner in the house.

"Typical poltergeist activity," he continued after chewing on the slice he took. "…Ghost sightings, and a child who is supposed to be causing everything. I think it's interesting enough for you Noll."

Lin took a glance at Oliver from the corner of his eyes.

Oliver kept his eyes on his plate. He put a slice of the pan roasted sea bass in his mouth and chewed quietly.

Luella and Madoka also had their eyes on Oliver.

"How opposed are you to a trip in Zurich this Thursday?" Martin asked Oliver.

Lin looked down at his plate.

Mai's trip to France was Friday that week.

If Oliver accepted the case, he won't be able to say goodbye to her.

"Thursday is good," Oliver said tearing off another slice of the fish with his fork.

Lin stared confused at Oliver.

Surely the case would take days to solve! What was he thinking? Was he not planning on saying goodbye to Mai?

Madoka raised a brow at Lin, thinking of the same thing.

Lin turned to Madoka and blinked once to tell her that he had no clue on what was going on in Oliver's head.

"You'll be okay travelling this Thursday?" Martin asked.

Oliver looked up at Martin. "I gave my students a research paper for their finals. I gave them the whole two weeks to finish it," he answered.

Martin nodded. "That's good. I'll buy you and Lin a tube ticket to Zurich this Thursday then."

"Lin still hasn't finished the case he and Madoka are working on," Oliver said turning his gaze on Lin. "Is that right?"

Lin stiffly nodded. "Yes," he said. "We are still not done with the investigation. But we can finish it by Thursday."

"If I understand this correctly, you still need to perform an observation on the place this Friday if you're going to finish it this Thursday," Oliver said.

Madoka and Lin stiffly nodded their heads.

Oliver turned to Martin. "I know how good Madoka and Lin are," he said. "But we need to show our clients that we maintain quality in any case we accept."

Martin nodded. "Yes. That is correct. However, I'm afraid I have promised them to send someone to check on the case by Friday morning.

"I can leave on my own, Thursday evening," Oliver said. "It would take a while before I reach Zurich anyway. We can send other investigators with me if you want."

Martin chuckled. "Oh! I do not doubt your skills, Noll," he said. "I simply want to make sure you'll be safe."

"I can stay in our house in Zurich so our helpers there can keep an eye on me while I'm on my own," Oliver replied. "…If that would make you more at ease with this proposition, of course."

Martin nodded. "That is a good idea," he said. "But I trust you. I'll reserve a tube ticket to Zurich for you. We'll see you off Thursday evening."

Oliver nodded.

Lin couldn't help but feel that nagging feeling once more.

Oliver had been ignoring Mai. And now, he chose to handle a case in Zurich instead of seeing her off.

Was Oliver trying to kill himself?

* * *

><p>Thursday night.<p>

Lin, Madoka, and Luella eyed Oliver warily as he rode the train to Zurich. Only Martin was happy enough to smile widely at him.

Luella knew, from Lin and Madoka's reactions about Oliver's trip, that Oliver was doing something wrong.

She wanted to ask them what Oliver's urgent trip really meant to them, but she had a hunch that it had something to do with Mai Taniyama.

And Lin and Madoka rarely opened their mouths about her. They protected Oliver, and whoever Oliver cared for.

"Call us when you get there," Martin told Oliver as he stepped into the train with his luggage. Oliver held his passport and ticket in his other hand.

"That would be around two in the morning," Oliver told Martin – his usual apathetic face on.

"I'll be up at that time," Luella said. "Just call me, Noll. Call me. Please," she said looking meaningfully at Oliver.

Oliver looked back at Luella and gazed at her pleading eyes. After a moment or so, he nodded.

Luella smiled at him. "I love you, Noll," she said waving a hand at her. "I will always be here for you."

Martin chuckled. "Noll is just going to work on a case in Zurich," he said. "Lin and Madoka will be with him by tomorrow afternoon."

Luella wiped the moisture in her eyes away and nodded.

Oliver looked away. "I'm going," he said before he walked further into the train carriage.

"Take care, son," Martin said.

Lin and Madoka could only watch Oliver disappear into the passenger car.

The train engine started to purr in a matter of minutes. Martin, Luella, Lin and Madoka watched the train drive out of the terminal.

A new train drove into the platform.

Martin, Luella, Lin and Madoka walked out of the station.

Oliver had left London.

* * *

><p>Oliver stared at his sad reflection on the glass window of the train car.<p>

The evening scape outside was a blur.

Oliver grasped the handle of his luggage and looked deep into the eyes of his sad reflection.

"I won't regret this," he said.

"I know," his reflection replied.


	75. Chapter 75

Mai sighed as she stared at the crowd on the platforms of St. Pancras.

It was Friday morning and Oswald Mortimer was making sure that his household's luggages were all loaded in the baggage car.

Mai carried a small luggage of her own. She didn't have much when she started to work for Oswald. The small luggage that was enough to be a carry-on. It contained all her clothes and toiletries.

"You've been sticking your neck out for quite a while now, Mai," Margaret said. "You might break a neck bone this time," she jested.

Mai tried to smile. "I'm sorry," she said.

"You're looking for that scientist, yes?" Elise asked.

Mai looked away. "No! Why would I do that?"

Margaret chuckled. "You can't fool us," she said. "You are so obvious!"

Mai sighed and shook her head. "I'm not looking for him," she said. "I'm just…I haven't seen a train station this huge."

Elise and Margaret laughed. "That's alright," Elise said. "You'll get used to seeing one soon enough. Master Mortimer loves travelling with his servants."

Mai smiled at Elise.

…Right. She would permanently be part of the Mortimer household when they reach France. She would be with them when they decide to ride the train to another country.

She would be working and living with them for good.

But why was she feeling sad about it? Master Mortimer was a good employer.

Mai took another deep breath.

"So are you going away with him too?" Margaret asked Mai excitedly.

Mai stared confused at Margaret.

Margaret chuckled. "We all know Florence and Edmund are eloping today," she said.

Mai stiffened. "How..?"

Margaret smiled. "Master Mortimer handed Florence her passport earlier when we got into the station," she said. "You were too busy looking around to notice it. He asked Florence if he could talk to Edmund. In case you haven't noticed, Edmund is standing next to Master Mortimer right now. He's helping out with making sure our luggages are in the carriage."

Mai gasped and quickly looked for Mortimer.

Margaret was right. Oswald stood beside Edmund. They were helping out with loading the luggage.

Mai stared shocked at the scene.

"I heard Master Mortimer gave them his blessing," Margaret said. "I believe that includes giving Florence her retirement pay, and a gift for their wedding – a cheque I think.

Mai smiled. "Master Mortimer is very kind," she said.

Margaret sighed. "I know this is rude of me, but I believe Master Norringbent's death freed him in a way. He looks lighter and happier now."

Mai watched Oswald chuckle at a joke Edmund made.

Yes. Oswald Mortimer looked happier.

The scene Mai was watching was immediately covered by Florence's smiling face. "Mai!"

"Florence!"

"So how many children are you two going to have?" Margaret teased.

Florence's cheeks turned red. "I want four," she answered. "But Edmund said I need to know how giving birth feels first before we aim for four. He's afraid of all the rumours about how horrible it feels."

"He's right, you know," Elise said. "I wanted ten children when I was as young as you. After giving birth to my eldest, I wanted only one."

"You still ended up having six though," Margaret said.

Elise shrugged her shoulders. "It was making the baby that was fascinating."

Florence and Margaret laughed while Mai blushed. Elise noticed this and smile.

"Oh Mai," she said. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You will do that with Dr. Davis too."

Mai gasped and shook her head. Her cheeks were in flames.

Florence and Margaret couldn't help but laugh out louder.

"Well," Florence said after she calmed down. "Edmund and I will be leaving soon." She then looked at Mai. "Care to walk me to Edmund since you won't be in my wedding day?"

Mai smiled and nodded. "…Of course!"

Elise and Margaret kissed Florence's cheeks before Mai walked away with her.

"So Master Mortimer approved your wedding?" Mai asked excitedly.

Florence chuckled. "It was more like he offered to pay for the wedding," she said. "He wanted Edmund to come with us to France so we could do the ceremony there with everyone. Edmund and I just don't want a lavish wedding."

Mai sighed. "So you're really staying here in London," she said.

Florence nodded. "Master Mortimer gave us enough money to start a small restaurant. You know how great a cook Edmund is. And we've always wanted to have a restaurant of our own," she answered. "Master Mortimer also leased us a place we can use for the restaurant. It's beautiful, Mai! You should see it!"

Mai chuckled. "I'll visit your restaurant someday! I promise!"

Florence smiled and hugged Mai tight. "I've wanted to ask you this for a long time," she said letting Mai go. "Can I name my daughter after you?"

Mai gasped. "Florence..?"

Florence looked pleadingly at Mai. "Edmund and I love you. You're a wonderful person, and we would like our daughter to be as wonderful as you."

Mai shyly smiled and scratched her head. "If you do that, your daughter might turn out idiotic like me."

Florence sighed. "Yes, she might," she said. "But she'll get my genes so I'm sure she won't be as idiotic as you."

Mai frowned. "Hey! You think I'm an idiot too?"

Florence laughed. "You're not really an idiot, Mai," she said. "You're just…dense," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Mai rolled her eyes.

Florence smiled and wrapped her arm around Mai's. "So Naru won't be here to see you off?"

Mai tried to smile. "He's a busy man," she said.

Florence sighed. "Don't lose hope, Mai," she said. "Who knows? He might just be here somewhere," she said looking around in the crowd.

Mai chuckled. "It's alright, really. I should get used to it too."

"Seeing Florence off?" asked Oswald who suddenly stood behind them.

Mai and Florence turned to face him. "Master Mortimer!"

Oswald smiled. "May I speak with Mai?"


	76. Chapter 76

_Thank you all for reading and reviewing "Key," "Are you happy?" "Twisted Tales" and "Scroll." Thank you also for including them in your favourite list. I am still in awe at reading email notifications for these stories, especially those about the stories I finished a month or so ago. I don't know how to tell those people who caused those notifications just how happy they made me, and since some of them also read this story, I'm posting this AN note to tell you (or them, if it's not you ^ _v _^ ) about it. _

_I know I'm being evil here, prolonging the agony on the chapters, so here is/are (still not sure how many chapters to upload) the next chapts of "Key." Hope you enjoy reading it/them (haha). Do tell me what you think about it ( I really love reading insights about the story. It inspires me to write and twist things in the plot). _

_...Ghost Hunt is not mine. _

* * *

><p>"Sure, " Florence answered. She winked at Mai and quickly ran to Edmund.<p>

Mai shyly looked up at Oswald.

Oswald chuckled. "I'm not planning on eating you, Mai," he said.

Mai smiled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just not used to…"

"**I****'****m** sorry," Oswald said holding Mai's hand. "I shouldn't have taken him out of…"

Mai shook her head. "It was no one's fault."

Oswald stared for a moment at Mai before he smiled. "I thought they were just exaggerating," he said. "I guess it's true. You forgave us – me and my father."

Mai looked surprised at Oswald. She didn't know Oswald knew Norringbent was his father. But she smiled sincerely at him. "Like I said, no one wanted that to happen…I think."

Oswald chuckled. "Yes, no one did," he said letting Mai's hand go. "Thank you. Thank you for being a good servant. Thank you for being a good friend. You know you don't have to stay with us, yes?"

Mai nodded. "I insist," she said. "To work for you is an honour for me."

Oswald smiled and hugged Mai. "Thank you."

Mai looked shyly away. She knew her cheeks were red…Again.

People loved hugging her that day for some reason.

Oswald let her go. "Go see Florence off," he said.

Mai nodded. "Thank you, Master Mortimer!" she said before she turned away and looked for Florence.

Oswald chuckled and turned to look at the crowd. "Ah. There you are."

* * *

><p>Takumi stood on one of the platforms – a hefty luggage in his hand.<p>

He could see Mai from where he stood. She was with Florence and Edmund…probably saying goodbye to them.

Takumi sighed and stared at the luggage. He got one of the overcoats out and draped it on his arm before he went to the tube station.

He could have sworn the coat was his.

"You can keep the coat," he heard someone say in Japanese

Takumi smirked and looked up. "You're on time," he replied.

* * *

><p>"You'll be careful out there, you hear?" Edmund said patting Mai's head.<p>

Mai's eyes were as moist as Florence, who was modestly blowing her nose on Edmund's white hankie.

"Yes! Yes I will," Mai said. "You too! Don't burn anything. And don't leave Florence or I'll ask Master Mortimer to hire someone who will hunt you down!"

Edmund chuckled. "This old hag here is the one you should warn. She thinks she's still beautiful enough to lure someone else!"

"I **am **beautiful enough to do that," Florence said glaring at Edmund. "I'm just kind enough not to do it."

"Ha! Admit it. I'm the best there is," Edmund said winking at Mai.

Mai chuckled. "You two are still crazy," she said.

"We'll grow old as cracks someday," Florence said.

Edmund laughed. "No. You'll grow old as a cranky crack."

Florence glared at Edmund.

Mai burst into laughter. "I'll really miss you two."

"You're sure you won't change your mind about staying with us?" Edmund asked.

Mai nodded. "I have to stay with Master Mortimer."

Florence rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that is not the reason."

Mai frowned. "Yes it is."

Edmund chuckled. "Fine," he said pulling Mai into his arms and hugging him tight. "You **will** come visit us, yes?"

"Absolutely," Mai said hugging Edmund back.

Florence smiled and wrapped her arms around the two.

"I better get back," Mai said after Edmund released her.

"Yes you do," Edmund sadly said. "Can you find your way back to the platform?"

Mai nodded. "Don't worry. I still remember where the platform is."

Florence and Edmund nodded. "We'll see you again then," Florence said kissing Mai's cheeks.

"Yes. We'll see each other again," she said before she turned away and ran toward the platforms– her luggage in hand.

"Do you think it will work?" Edmund asked.

Florence burst into laughter. "She just went to a different platform!"

Edmund stared at Mai and laughed. "Silly little Mai."

* * *

><p>Mai ran toward one of the platforms and looked for any sign of Oswald or the servants.<p>

She couldn't find them anymore for some reason.

"Where could they be?" she said as she walked aimlessly around, looking at the faces of the people she passed by. She was about to move to another platform when she felt someone hit her shoulder…hard.

Mai fell on the ground with a loud, 'ouch!'

She winced and shyly stood up, feeling the people around her suddenly staring at her.

Whoever that rude person was, he or she was going to pay.

Mai ran to the direction that the rude person went to. She immediately spotted a tall man in a brown overcoat and black newsboy cap walking swiftly away, hitting some of the people who stood on his way.

Mai glared at the man.

He was the one who hit her. She was sure of it.

She didn't care if he had a train to catch. He could have apologized while he was running away.

"Hey you!" she called running toward the man.

The man seemed to slow down. But Mai kept her speed and threw her tightly clenched fist on the man's arm.

"Ouch!" the man cried, covering the part of his arm that Mai hit, with his free hand. He almost dropped the luggage that the arm in pain held.

"Ha! You deserved it! That was very rude of-"

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" the man said giving her a glare…a cold glare…a familiar glare.

Mai froze.

"Na…Naru..?"

* * *

><p>Takumi sighed and wrapped his new coat tightly around him.<p>

He smirked.

The guy really was a genius.

* * *

><p>Oswald looked out at his window's view of the platforms.<p>

They were all seated in the passenger cars.

"Do you think Mai would get pregnant?" he heard Margaret ask Elise a few seats away.

Elise chuckled. "It would be about time," she said. "They've been sleeping in one bed for quite some time now."

The servants burst into laughter.

Oswald smiled.

Perhaps he should write Dr. Davis a letter asking him to be his child's godparent.

Oswald chuckled.

Or perhaps he should offer himself as a godparent to all of Dr. Davis' children.

It would be a great honour to him. He began to think of what gift he should give to his first godchild. If it was a boy, would a mini-motorcycle do? If it was girl, would a life-size doll house be good?


	77. Chapter 77

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Key!" __I see a lot of people are confused about things in the story right now, and people see a lot of holes. __Don't worry, though. That was not the last chapter of "Key." _

_I greatly appreciate those reviews pointing out the missing pieces in the story. As I said, I do my best to make this story as flexible to suggestions as possible. So those details you ask and point out in reviews help me patch those holes up. Simply put, don't hesitate to tell me what parts of the story are confusing and I'll be more than happy to help you out ^ _v ^

_So here's another chapter for Key. Please read and review. Again, don't hesitate to ask anything about the story that you think needs clarifications okay? Tah!_

* * *

><p>"What…what are you doing here?" Mai asked in Japanese, still shocked and staring at Naru.<p>

"What do you think?" Naru replied in the same language, still glaring at her.

She could throw a punch.

Mai stiffened and took in Naru's clothes...and the luggage he carried in one hand - the hand the was connected to the arm she just hit. "Oh," she said. "You're going on a vacation."

Naru wanted to roll his eyes. She really knew nothing about his profession.

After a moment or so of staring at each other, Naru rubbed his sore arm and turned away from Mai. He began to walk toward one of the trains.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Mai asked running to Naru.

"How idiotic can you get?" Naru muttered.

Mai glared at Naru. "I asked you because I didn't know!"

"I truly feel sorry for your brain capacity," Naru replied as he walked away from her.

Mai sighed. "Fine! You have a train to catch," she said running to follow Naru. "But could you please help me here for a second?"

Naru rolled his eyes and looked at Mai.

Mai sighed in relief. "Can you tell me where the platform for the train leaving to Rouen, France is?"

Naru turned and walked away from her.

Mai gasped in awe.

Did he just ignore her?

Naru turned to look at her. "Are you walking? Or are you going to stand there until the train gets out of the station?"

Mai realized what Naru was doing and quickly ran to him.

* * *

><p>"Haast! Haast!" a little boy said running toward the train that Naru and Mai were headed to.<p>

Mai sighed.

Leaving London meant she had to learn another language – French to be exact. She would end up lost in the market place again. And since Florence won't be there, she would probably end up in the lost and found corner of a police station there if that happened.

"Doe voorzichtig!" an old couple told a younger couple – one of which my must be the older couple's child.

Mai smiled. She didn't understand what they said but by their gestures, she knew they warmly bid the younger couple goodbye.

She wondered what her parents would tell her if they were there. Would they tell her to go back to Japan? Would they want her to stay in London with Florence? Would they want her to go to France?

Mai then heard Naru loudly clear his throat.

Mai stiffened and turned to look up at Naru.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he asked.

It was then that she realized where they were.

They were standing beside the entrance to the passenger car of the train.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she said before she walked into the train.

Naru smirked.

Mai was really an idiot. And he loved it.

* * *

><p>Takumi watched Naru step into the train after Mai. He shook his head and sighed.<p>

He wanted to turn away and go back to his apartment. But he somehow still hoped that Mai would realize what just happened. He hoped to see her stepping frantically off of the train before it left the station.

He remembered his conversation with Naru in a cafe not long ago.

"I know you took me here to London to help you get Mai back to Japan," Takumi said in Japanese, sitting across the table – eyes focused on a cup of hot coffee in front of him.

Naru sat across him. He watched him with his usual bored expression.

"I know you did it to help Mai, and not me," Takumi continued before he looked up at Naru. "But I want to make it up to her. I want to take her back to Japan with me. I know I don't look that credible but I really felt guilty the moment I realized what I did. I thought if I helped her get here, she would be happy. I thought sending her here as a maid was alright. I thought the money I would earn from sending her there would be enough for me to take her back. I didn't know such complications would happen. I didn't know that I would lose her permanently!"

Naru took a sip of the cup of tea in front of him.

"Yasuhara-san can tell you just how horrible I was when he found me," Takumi said. "I wanted to kill myself. Mai was a good friend to me. And I threw her away like that. So when I got here, I just couldn't stop myself from not meeting her again. And then that accident...It's my fault. If I didn't send her here..."

"You want to go back to Japan with her," Naru said in the same language.

Takumi nodded. "I already told her about it," he said. "I know I should have informed you about it, but I heard her employer wanted to immediately get out of the country. I wanted her to have a choice – a choice to go home with me. And she wants to go back to Japan! I saw it in her eyes when I told her about it."

Naru looked down at Takumi's coat. "Let me see your coat."

Takumi stared confused at Naru.

His coat..?

Naru glared at him. Takumi immediately took his coat off and handed it to Naru.

Naru examined the coat. "You bought this?"

"Yes," Takumi answered. "It's just a cheap coat."

Naru slipped the coat on, which made Takumi's jaw drop.

Naru checked his reflection on the glass window beside them. The coat fit him well. "You have taste," Naru said.

"Of course, I do," Takumi proudly said.

He might be more of a street rat, but he knew how to dress well.

Naru took the coat off and gave it back to Takumi. He pulled out his wallet and took out a thick letter envelope. He handed the envelope to Takumi.

Takumi received it, still confused on what was happening.

"Buy me a decent set of clothes that would be enough for a two-week vacation anywhere in Europe," Naru said. "And buy me a luggage while you're at it."

Takumi raised a brow at Naru. "Mai wants to go to Japan," he said. "He will come with me to Japan."

"If she goes with you, you keep the clothes," Naru said.

Takumi chuckled. "You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

No. Naru looked serious...very serious.

"Look I know you hope-"

"No," Naru said. "I know."

Takumi stared surprised at Naru. "You know? You know Mai won't go back home to Japan when she's just dying to go there?"

"I know she won't go to Japan," Naru said. "Not yet. Meet me in St. Pancras International in the same date as Mai's trip to France with the clothes and passports in the luggage. Be there one hour before their departure time. I'll fill you in on which platform I'll be on, tomorrow."

Takumi laughed. "And what if Mai decided to go back to Japan with me?"

"We'll still meet in the station," Naru answered. "Keep the best overcoat you'll buy on your arm when we meet in the station."

Takumi chuckled. "Mai won't go with you," he said. "I know her. She'll choose to go home to Japan with me."

Naru smirked. "Are you daring me to bet on it? You're only going to lose, Kaiba-san."

Takumi watched the train slowly move away from the platform.

He watched the doors of the train close.

No one dared to get off the train.

"You can keep the coat," he remembered Naru say when he waited on the platform for him.

He smirked and looked up at him. "You're on time," he replied.

"Do you have it?" Naru asked wearing a brown overcoat.

"It's all in here," Takumi said handing Naru the luggage.

Naru took it and pulled out the passport from the pocket of the luggage.

Takumi also handed the coat on his arm to Naru, but he only smirked at the gesture.

"That's yours," Naru said.

Takumi stared surprised at Naru.

"I told you you'll lose," Naru said looking at the platform where the train to Rouen was.

"How did you know?" Takumi asked.

Naru raised a brow at Takumi.

"How did you know she won't choose to go back to Japan with me?"

Naru stared at Takumi for a moment as if he was deliberating on whether Takumi asked it to know the answer, or if he asked it as a joke. Realizing that Takumi really didn't know, he answered.

"Mai's an idiot," Naru said. "I thought you knew that."

Takumi froze.

Naru was right. She was idiot enough to put others' needs over her own. She chose to go with her employer to France because she believed her employer needed a family more than she did.

She was unselfish. And going to Japan with Takumi would make her selfish.

Takumi sighed and shook his head. "You really love her, don't you?"

Naru looked away and kept his eyes on Florence and Mai, who at that moment were walking toward Edmund.

Takumi patted Naru's shoulder.

Naru raised a brow at him.

"Take great care of her," he said. "I'll get everything fixed so you two can go back to Japan."

Naru nodded.

Takumi watched the new train park on the platform where Naru and Mai's train was just parked on, a few minutes ago.

He smirked.

"I'll see you again, Mai," he said before he turned away and went out of the station.


	78. Chapter 78

_Because this day is a D day for me...Here's another chapter._

* * *

><p>"Salut! Merci," Mai told the attendant who gave her a glass of water.<p>

She couldn't find Oswald or the other servants in the train so she sat with Naru, who at that moment decided to take a seat in the dining car and drink some tea.

Naru raised a brow at Mai.

Mai noticed it and stared back at Naru. "What?" she asked in Japanese

"You've been speaking in French to people since we got here," Naru said in the same language.

"I'm practicing my French," Mai reasoned. "I need to learn French if I'm going to live in France."

Naru smirked. "You're not going to France."

Mai raised her brows at Naru. "What do you mean?"

"You're not going to France," Naru said. "Mai, this train isn't going to France. This is going to Belgium. Then people here will transfer to another train to the Netherlands. "

Mai gasped – her jaw dropping in awe. "WHAT? You're kidding right?"

"Did you hear anyone speaking in French here?" Naru asked.

Mai looked at the very few people in the dining car with them.

"Ja," a man said chuckling heartily with his companion.

"Ik weet het niet," a woman sadly told a man she sat with.

"Het kan me niet," a man told an old woman before she sat down with her.

"Smakelijk eten," said an attendant who just served food to a family.

Mai froze.

None of them sounded close to French.

"Oh no..." she said, her heart pounding hard against her chest. "Oh no," she said tears sliding down her cheeks.

Naru quickly pulled her to his chest. "Calm down," he said. "People are staring at you."

Mai nodded and covered her face with her hands.

Naru sighed. "Let's go to the compartment car," he said pulling Mai up and guiding her out of the dining car.

* * *

><p>Naru led her to the seats where he kept their luggage in. He sat Mai near the window before he took a seat beside her.<p>

Mai was still crying. "Master Mortimer..." she whispered.

Naru sighed. "You do know you sound like you're mourning for him now, right?"

Mai glared at Naru. "I thought you took me to our train."

"I never said this train was headed to France."

"I asked you to help me!"

"I didn't say I would help you."

"You told me to follow you!"

"I did?"

Mai looked away.

No. He didn't.

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know someone who needs a servant."

Mai looked up at Naru. "Is that someone the one you'll be visiting in the Netherlands?"

"You'll work for him?" Naru asked.

Mai wiped the tears in her eyes. "I haven't said goodbye to Master Mortimer yet."

"I'll call Florence to inform him about it," Naru said.

Mai smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Naru."

Naru felt his chest twitch.

His body just had to go berserk when she smiled like that.

He sighed and leaned back on his seat.

"How long will it take for us to get to Belgium?" Mai asked.

"Around two hours," Naru answered.

"It's a bit near then," Mai said.

"No," Naru answered. "The train is just fast."

Mai nodded.

She soon felt sleepy and yawned.

"Naru, how long has it been?" she asked looking at the view through the window.

Naru smirked. "Fifteen minutes," he said. "Sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Mai nodded and let her eyelids fall.

Naru pulled her closer so her head leaned on his neck and her upper body closely leaned against the side of his chest.

He smiled, seeing how deeply Mai slept in a matter of minutes.

He noticed the gold key of Mai's chain necklace glint in the light from the window. He lightly touched it with his fingers, feeling the engraved letterings on the ornament. He then sank his free hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of gold-painted door keys.

He remembered the day when he received the keys.

"I invited you to stay here longer for a reason," Oswald told Oliver that day after Norringbent's funeral.

Oliver kept his eyes on him.

"I know you don't want to talk to me about this at the moment, but I know how you are feeling now," Oswald said. "And I want to help you the way you helped me and my father."

Oliver sipped his tea.

"I understand that you share a special bond with Mai," Oswald began. "I know your parents know nothing about her. I am planning on taking her out of the country with us."

Oliver looked at Oswald.

"Mai would be safer out of the country," Oliver said.

Oswald watched him carefully. "You're not planning on going away with her?"

"Oh we're eloping," Oliver said. "She just doesn't know it yet."

Oswald stared surprised at Oliver for a moment before he burst into laughter. "I was hoping you would say that. Are you planning on going back to Japan?"

"No," Oliver answered. "It's too obvious. They'll find us there in no time."

Oswald nodded. "Where do you plan to go then?"

"I'm still looking for a good place to stay for a couple of months," Oliver said.

"I see. If it's not much of a bother, we have a property in Amsterdam that might be of use to you," Oswald said. "We haven't stayed there yet. My father just bought it a long time ago. It's a bit old, but it's still in good condition. I sent Jimmy there just yesterday to check how it is. The vines are growing on the outside walls but the interior is still good and sturdy. No cracks, none broken."

"Amsterdam you say," Oliver said. "Where in Amsterdam..?"

"It's in a bit of a rural area," Oswald said. "Let me ask Elise to get my book so I can give you the address."

Oliver nodded. Oswald did as he said.

"It's two stories," Oswald continued as Elise ran back into the house. "I saw it when my father purchased it. It has eight rooms upstairs – six bedrooms, one library that can be converted into an office, one attic. The master's bedroom has its own bathroom. The first floor is vast. It has a lobby, a living room with a working fireplace, a spacious kitchen, and another bathroom. The house also has its own lawn. We put up a brick fence around it, and a steel gate on the main entrance."

"We can easily get electricity and water reconnected there," Oswald added. "It's also fully furnished."

"That's quite a house you have," Oliver said. "How much can we pay you for it?"

Oswald smiled. "Just take care of each other," he said. "Treat it as my payment for how you paid for Mai's hospital bills. I know you wanted to buy her from me in exchange for you - saving my pocket on the hospital expenses."

Oliver raised his brows. "That's a very tempting offer. But I have my pride," Oliver said."

Oswald chuckled. "Yes, I heard you do," he said. "So I'm letting you two pay for the utilities. I'll pay for the reconnection charges. You two will be in charge of the monthly bills. That house also doesn't have a caretaker so keeping it in shape is going to be your responsibility as well. That's the best consideration to your pride that I can offer.

Oliver smiled. "In that case, I'll take it. Thank you."

Elise came back with an old notebook. Oswald browsed its pages for the address and showed it to Oliver. He also pulled out a set of gold keys from his pocket and gave it to him.

Oliver smirked. "So what would you have done if I declined your offer?"

He knew Oswald had planned to give them the house, hence the complete information he shared about the property, the house being fully-furnished, and the set of keys ready in his pocket.

Oswald chuckled. "I would insist."

Naru gazed at Mai's sleeping face and wondered if she would feel upset the moment she learned that she had just been kidnapped by the great Oliver Davis.

He kissed her forehead.

"Just trust me, Mai," he whispered. "Just trust me.

* * *

><p>Lin stood shocked at the empty lot in front of him.<p>

He just arrived in Zurich and since it was already around noon when he arrived, he decided to head to the house that they were hired to investigate a paranormal activity in.

Unfortunately, the supposed address of the client led to an abandoned lot.


	79. Chapter 79

Lin asked people around and confirmed that it had been an abandoned lot for the last ten years.

Who could have hired them to investigate in a house that didn't exist? How did this hoax get through to SPR's strict case reviews?

Lin stiffened.

Oliver, like his father, had access to the cases that were submitted for investigations. He was one of the people who checked if the cases were true and worth the time of any SPR investigator.

He could have forged a very tempting and convincing case, and slipped it into the case reports that his father was reviewing.

Lin quickly got back to the cab, asking the driver to check the Davis' property that was supposed to be just half-an-hour away.

"Master Davis?" asked the butler in his thick accent after Lin asked him if Oliver was in the house. "Nein. Es tut mir leid, aber...He is not here. He did not come here this morning. We are still waiting for him."

Lin sighed in frustration and sank down on the living room sofa.

"Wir müssen die Polizei benachrichtigen if he is missing," the butler said.

Lin only understood some German so the butler tried his best to use the English phrases that he knew, despite his great difficulty with the English tongue. Lin knew this and he was used to hearing the butler speak more German than English. Luckily the German phrases the butler used was those that Lin knew.

"Nein," Lin answered. "We need 24 hours to prove to the police that he is missing. The police will not act immediately, not when we're looking for a missing 21-year old. I will call the professor."

The butler nodded.

* * *

><p>"Has Noll called you?" Luella asked as she walked passed Martin in the hall.<p>

She was on her way to read a book in the garden when she saw him walking by with a couple of folders in hand.

"No," Martin answered. "He could be tired from the trip. He could also be too focused in the case to call. You know how he is. Either way, Lin is already there and Madoka will be riding the train soon to be with them."

Luella nodded and headed to the back porch that led to the garden.

"What?" she heard Madoka cry out from the lawn near the garden.

Luella quickly but stealthily went to the back porch near the garden to see what was going on.

Madoka stood panic-stricken. She held her mobile phone against her ear.

"He's missing? How? I don't understand," Madoka said.

Luella bit her lips from gasping.

Was Lin on the other line? Did something bad happen to Noll?

"The case is made up," Madoka asked. "But how could…You think Noll planned this? Did he reach Zurich though? …Are you sure the embassy doesn't have any records? Maybe they just misplaced his name somewhere… This can't be happening! Security cameras! What about the security cameras? …So you're saying Noll didn't get off the train in Zurich?"

Luella ran turned away, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Noll was gone. Her only son was **gone**.

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard to suppress her sobs.

"Can't we call the police?" Madoka asked. "I know they usually need 24 hours to declare that a person is missing but maybe there's a different rule there in Zurich. Try the police, Koujo. I'll tell Martin about this right now."

Luella turned to watch Madoka run into the house.

She let her tears fall when she confirmed that no one else was around. She ran to the garden and let her body sink on one of the wooden benches.

"Noll…My beloved Noll, oh God! Keep him safe, I beg you," she prayed rocking herself to and fro.

She then felt the mobile phone in her pocket tremble.

Luella gasped and quickly answered the call.

"Mother."

Luella held her breath.

She knew that voice. She knew that voice!

"Noll! Noll! Oh God! You're alright!" she cried out, tears flooding her eyes.

"Mother, don't tell anyone about this, I beg you."

Luella nodded furiously. "I won't tell anyone, dear. I won't. Where are you?"

"I can't tell you," Oliver said holding the receiver of the telephone booth.

They just got off the train at Brussels Midi Station and he told Mai to wait for him in a restaurant while he made a quick call in the nearest phone booth.

Mai had already asked about how she would travel legally with him when her passport was with Oswald. Of course Naru couldn't just tell her that he had her passport and tickets all along. So he evaded the question and took that time as a chance to call his mother.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I know this is wrong but I can't…"

"I know, Noll. I know. It's alright," Luella said smiling tearfully at the sound of Noll's voice. Hearing how he couldn't spill his location, Luella understood what Noll had done. "I'm the one who should apologize to you. I should have trusted you of all people, Noll. This is your life to live, not ours. I am so sorry, Noll. Please forgive me and your father."

"Mother, I'm not doing this because I hate you," Oliver said smirking. "I'm doing this because I feel like this is the only way for father to understand."

Luella smiled. "I thought so too," she said. "Don't worry. I support you. You take good care of each other. I'll handle your father. Do you two have a place to stay? Oh this is so romantic of you, Noll! I never would have thought you of all people would elope with the one you love!"

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gene was right. You really are a mother," he said. "And I don't think 'elope' is the right term for this. It's…honestly more like kidnapping," he muttered.

Luella chuckled. "Even more romantic! Oh Noll, you're such a sweet man now. I'm so proud of you."

Oliver sighed and shook his head. "Mother, I can't promise that I'll call you again so hear me out."

Luella's face turned serious. She looked around to make sure no one else could see or hear her.

"I'm listening, dear."

Oliver took a deep breath and smirked. "Mother I… I love you. I know I don't show it as often as Gene did but I do. Don't ever forget that. I know I'm a mess at the moment but I just want to thank you for understanding me in all of this. I never really thought you would support me. And I'm mighty glad you do support me."

Luella's tears were streaming down her smiling face.

"Silly idiot scientist," she said. "I love you too. And though I don't speak as much as your father, I do know when you are right and he is wrong. I want you to be happy with your marriage just as much as your father and I are. And that is something your stubborn father should learn. And no, Gene didn't show me how much he loved me more than you did. You just showed your love for me in a different way."

Oliver wiped his tears with his free hand. "I'm not saying goodbye here, Mother. I'm just…telling you about…I'm not in Zurich right now," he said shakily. "I lied to you. I'm in anywhere but Zurich now."

"I know," Luella said smiling gladly. "Be safe. I won't tell your father about this, don't worry. Shall I tell Lin and Madoka though?"

"No," Oliver said recovering the even tone of his voice. "Father would be suspicious."

"Yes, that is right," she said. "Well I better go. You need to go to your kidnap victim and make sure she is, shall I say, cozy. And I will need to harness my acting talents in case your father comes running in panic at me."

Oliver smiled. "Okay. Be careful, Mother."

Luella chuckled. "Oh and Noll, do call me when you've made my grandchild!" she said almost squealing in excitement. "And I'll email you some pointers on how to make your first night-"

Oliver stiffened. "Mother," he muttered.

Luella chuckled. "I'll just email it. I'll send you an ebook about it too. Goodbye dear!"

Oliver heard a click on the other line. He sighed and put the phone down.

Gene was right. They were lucky to have an insane woman as a second mother.

Oliver stepped out of the phone booth and looked for Mai so they could ride the Thalys train to Amsterdam.

She was still in the restaurant gazing fascinatedly at the street through the glass window.

Oliver smirked.

Gene said boys had the tendency to like girls who were somewhat similar to their mothers.

Was Luella in any way like Mai when she was younger?

* * *

><p>"Luella!" Martin cried out from the house.<p>

Luella quickly dried her face and smiled.

She was sure that she was doing the right thing this time.

She quickly checked the call records in her mobile phone and deleted the latest call record. Though she wanted to keep it and use it to communicate with her son, she knew it was most likely the number of a phonebooth that may or may not be located in the same place where his son was.

Luella cleared her throat and turned to look at the house. "I'm here, Martin!"

She immediately heard Martin's hasty steps in the back porch.

"Luella! Luella, Noll is missing!" Martin cried out as he ran to Luella. His eyes were teary and his voice was breaking. "The case in Zurich was a hoax! What have I done?"

Shock, panic and fear quickly filled Luella's face.

"No…Noll! What happened to Noll?" she cried, running to Martin.

Martin held her tight, tears sliding down his eyes. "We'll find him, Luella. We'll find him and we'll bring him back home."

Luella buried her head on Martin's chest and cried louder.

"My son! Noll! No!" she cried out, shoulders shaking in her loud sobs.

In truth however, she believed that Oliver was already home.

* * *

><p>Lin stared at the log book of Suite Novotel, a detective standing beside him.<p>

Oliver must have gotten off the train somewhere in the train route to Zurich. Assisted by a Davis family friend in Zurich, Detective Ulrich Baehler, Lin traced back the train route. They went from station to station, checking if they had records of Oliver, or if their security cameras captured anyone fitting Oliver's description.

From Zurich, they went to Basel. Getting nothing of use, they went to Mulhouse, to Strasburg, to Nancy, to Metz, to Chalon En Champagne, to Champagne-Ardenne, to Paris, to Lille…

They didn't find records of Oliver Davis. But they did find an image of him captured by the security camera in the train station in Lille.

He wore a different set of clothes and the records said his name was Eugene Fischer, an English traveler.

Lin figured Oliver must have presented a different passport and ticket when they saw him off in St. Pancras.

As expected, the security cameras caught him getting off the train and walking away from the train station, and the next morning, boarding a train back to London.

Lin and Detective Baehler searched the nearest hotels and suites for him and only found the name Eugene Fischer in the records of Suite Novotel.

Mr. Fischer apparently reserved a room, days before he rode the train.

Lin pinched the bridge of his nose.

Oliver rarely read on his tablet computer. He loved the feel of the paper on his fingers.

So why was he using his tablet computer in the office that day? ...That day when Oliver denied any concern he had for Mai...

The reason Oliver gave was that he needed to retrieve a file that he needed to review from his online email account. Since they had Wi-fi in the house, he had two options on how he could do it – use his netbook or use his tablet computer.

He said he chose the tablet computer because he hadn't used it much since it was given to him as a birthday present.

What were the odds that Oliver actually booked a train ride and an overnight accommodation for Eugene Fischer online through his tablet computer?

Lin took a deep breath and sighed.

According to the records, Eugene Fischer left the hotel early morning the next day. He rode a train back to London. And based on the train schedule, he would have been in St. Pancras International in London an hour before Mai left for France.

Lin smirked. Oliver had been doing something to get Mai all along.

"What shall we do now?" Detective Baehler asked Lin. "I'll tell Madoka everything," Lin answered. "You think we can still visit Rouen?"

"Yes," Baehler said. "But didn't Dr. Davis go back to London? Shouldn't we go to London and look for him there?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lin said. "His girlfriend was supposed to go to Rouen about an hour after he arrived in London."

Baehler's face lit up – a bright smile on his face. "The doctor has a girlfriend?" he asked. "I hope it's not the daughter of the Science minister. No offense, but that mädchen is horrible. So the professor is afraid that Dr. Davis eloped with his girlfriend?"

Lin smirked. "That's what we need to check," he said.

Baehler snickered. "If they really did elope, they're probably banging each other right about now," he joked.

"And hopefully he gets her pregnant," Lin muttered quietly.

"What?" Baehler asked.

"Nothing," Lin answered. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Martin stood in front of the window of his office.<p>

Luella had calmed down and sat on the couch in his office with Madoka.

"Everything is going to be alright, Luella," Madoka said holding Luella in her arms.

Luella gave a weak nod as she leaned her head on Madoka's shoulder. Her eyes were swollen and moist with tears.

"Any news from Lin?" Luella asked Madoka.

"He's with Detective Baehler," Madoka answered. "I think they've traced where Noll went."

Luella nodded.

"He went somewhere else," Martin muttered.

Madoka looked up. "That's the theory, professor," she said. "But we don't-"

"Book us a flight to Japan, Ms. Mori," Martin said staring at the grey sky outside his window.

Madoka stiffened. "Japan..?"

Luella froze.

"Yes, Japan," Martin said smiling at his reflection on the glass. "Don't worry, Luella. We'll find him."

Luella and Madoka stared anxiously at Martin.

They hoped Noll and Mai were far from Japan at that moment.

* * *

><p><em>First of all, I want to give a shout out to the first readerreviewer who noticed my favourite quote in the previous chapter, Just Me. 3! Believe it or not, I was laughing when I typed that line down. Have I told you that when I write, I feel like I'm just writing down what's happening in a movie? Like I'm just seeing everything happening in front of me, and I just write them down to keep a record of everything. Weird, I know. But I just want to tell you that when I wrote this line, I really saw an image of Naru on a chair, a garden behind him, and a cup of tea on the table in front of him in my head. _

_I'm so happy a lot of you liked that line too!_

_Going on, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Key," and yes - this is the last chapter for "Key." I hoped you all enjoyed reading and reviewing this story 'til this last chapter. You've all taught me so much from the reviews you gave, and from all the notifications I'm getting about how many people are reading it. You've all really motivated me to write more. _

_Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!_

_So anyway, do tell me what you think about this last chapter, and perhaps what you all think about "Are you happy?" and "Key." Oh and feel free to make suggestions on how this story would have been better or how it **could** be better. * _v_ *_

_Ghost Hunt is not mine. TAH! _


	80. Chapter 80

"Wow! Your friend must be just as rich as Master Mortimer!" Mai said gazing at the two-story house beyond the steel gate.

Naru looked at it and noticed how the vines complemented the look of the mansion.

Norringbent had good taste.

Naru walked to the gate and pulled out the gold key from his pocket.

"Hey, shouldn't we ring the doorbell first?" Mai asked. But Naru already unlocked the gate.

* * *

><p>"Noll got off the train in Lille," Lin said. "He spent the night in Suite Novotel before he rode the train back to London."<p>

"Why didn't we learn about this sooner?" Madoka asked.

"He used a different passport," Lin answered. "I'm thinking of a forged one."

"You mean Oliver's working with a forger?"

"Baehler and I believe so," Lin replied. "And he's working with a professional one."

Madoka turned away from Lin in deep thought. "If that's the case," she said. "There's a greater possibility that our trip to Japan would be useless." She turned and looked up at Lin. "Koujo, Noll could use another passport so the immigration won't register his entry there. We'll be more blind that we were when he ran away to Japan two years ago."

Lin's face turned more serious. "Madoka, this is Noll," he said. "This is Noll who has access to tools he didn't have access to two years ago."

Madoka stiffened.

"Madoka, Gene and Noll has a joined account that they hid from their parents," Lin said. "You asked me ten years ago why the twins don't save that much in the bank accounts their parents made for them. I'm telling you the answer right now. They made a separate bank account - an account i know still exists today. I was there when they made it. I acted as their guardian. Now that Gene is gone, and Noll is of age, I lost control over keeping track of the account. I was able to confirm that it is still active. If that's the case, Noll can have enough money to buy plane tickets to places other than Japan."

"Oh no," Madoka mumbled weakly.

"Oh yes," Lin said. "Noll could even be somewhere here in Europe for all we know."

* * *

><p>"Wait!" Mai cried out. "If you're going to sleep there, where will I sleep? All the other bedrooms are locked."<p>

Naru kept his eyes on the pages of his open book. "If you're too scared to go to sleep, don't sleep."

Mai scowled and marched to the bed where Oliver was already lying on. "I am NOT scared to go to sleep!"

Naru spared her a glance before he turned the page of his book.

Mai shyly took her place beside Naru – her back towards him. She pulled the blanket to cover her body until Naru's legs were exposed to the cold.

Naru glared at her and pulled the blanket back to cover his legs. Mai pulled it back to cover her body.

"If you're going to sleep here, learn to share," Naru said pulling the blanket from Mai and covering his legs with it.

"It's not my fault the blanket is too short for two people!" Mai said pulling the blanket back.

"It won't be THAT short if you weren't too scared to move closer!"

Mai felt heat fill up her cheeks. "I am not scared," she muttered looking away.

Naru pulled the blanket and covered his legs with it.

Mai sighed and crept closer to Naru – her back still toward him. She pulled the blanket to cover her but it still exposed Naru's legs.

"It's still too short," Mai said.

Naru rolled his eyes and put his book on the table beside his bed. He turned the light off and sunk down the bed. He pulled Mai closer to his chest and successfully covered their selves with the blanket.

"Still too short?" he asked Mai – his breath tickling the back of her neck.

Mai couldn't answer. Her heart was racing and Naru's arms were holding her. She could feel his heart beating against her back.

"Sleep," Naru whispered closing his eyes.

Mai felt his breath slowly grow even. She smiled.

Small blankets did have its benefits.

* * *

><p>"I'm looking for my son," Martin said staring carefully at Mai. "He ran away, with a woman who coaxed him to elope with her."<p>

Mai gasped. "No way! That's horrible! And you haven't heard from him since," she sadly said.

"Yes," Martin replied. "We don't think she's fit to be with him. She's not even half the man our son is. That's why the woman told him to take her away. If you were that woman, would you tell my son to come home to us?"

"…Of course!" Mai said. "I lost my parents when I was young. And I still miss having them around. I still wish I can be with them. I'm sure your son misses you too, and it makes him sad to be away from you. So to not tell him to go home to you is wrong! If she really loves him, she would understand his need to be with his family. She would accept and respect you as his parents, and she would respect his right to be with you."

Martin's eyes narrowed as he gazed at Mai's face.

* * *

><p>"Until when are you planning to keep this lie about you deciding to move out here in Amsterdam to have a new life with her?" Lin angrily asked. "Until when are you planning to keep the truth about you being engaged to another woman?"<p>

Naru glared at Lin. "Shut it! I know what I'm doing. I'll tell her everything when it's time to tell her everything!"

"She needs to know about it now!"

"So you can take me back to London?" Naru asked. "I thought you understood me!"

"I work for your father!"

* * *

><p>Mai read the news article on the crumpled newspaper…Oliver Davis…to wed Science Minister's Daughter… She read the texts, the story, and the supposed announcement of the engagement. She turned the page and saw a picture of Oliver talking intimately to his fiancée…his beautiful British fiancée.<p>

Tears slid down her cheeks.

They ran away so Oliver could escape the wedding. He took her with him so he could have a reason to stop the engagement.

Oliver didn't love her afterall.

* * *

><p>"You want to go back to Japan with me?" Takumi asked.<p>

"Yes, I do," Mai said.

"What about Naru?"

Mai smiled. "He lives here in Europe," she answered. "I live in Japan. **We** live in Japan."

Takumi smiled and held her hand tight in his. "Let's go to Japan then," he said before he kissed Mai's forehead.

Mai closed her eyes.

"Goodbye, Naru," she thought, biting her lower lip until it bled.


	81. Note for Chapter 80

Hi! Like I said in my Fb account, this is an apology/explanation note.

First off, I'm terribly sorry for ruining the story. I understand if you want to erase all the good comments you gave Key and Are you happy? It was wrong of me to expect too much. I should have given much consideration to everyone.

So to explain everything, Chapter 80 is not the last chapter for Key. As I said on the AN for Chapter 79, the last chapter for Key is Chapter 79, not Chapter 80.

So why see Chapter 80? My bad. I thought that since I saw reviews telling me that people read Are you happy?, people would recognize the pattern that I did.

In Are you happy?, after Chapter 35 is another chapter entitled "Key." And it contained, not sure if you noticed, some of the texts in Key. So basically, it was a sneak peak. Since I read a lot of reviews spelling confusion on what happened, I uploaded a note after that – Chapter 37.

I guess what I should have done was upload chapter 80 under a different title. Unfortunately, I haven't thought of a proper title for the sequel yet so I just uploaded it as chapter 80.

Long story short, Chapter 80 is not an epilogue. Nor is it a summary of the sequel. It's supposed to be a sneak peak. It contains some of the texts in the sequel, but it does not show what happens in the sequel entirely.

And at this point I would like to thank bbhelen3162 and sumi20 for seeing Chapter 80 as a sneak peak. I'm lucky bbhelen3162 reread Are you happy? recently and she got it. Thank you ^ _ ^For sumi20, I would like to thank you for putting that extra effort of re-reading the chapter that helped her eventually guess it right. Thank you ^ _ ^

And to those readers who got Chapter 80 but didn't overtly say so by submitting a review to tell me about it, thank you! Thank you all so much.

I really learned a lot from this. I was planning to upload a chapter for the sequel this week. But reading the oppositions about the content of Chapter 80, which contains snippets of the sequel, I decided to reconsider it. Perhaps it's really better if I left the Ghost Hunt fanfic with Key as the ending.

Again, thank you all so much for the patience, help, and support you've given me.

Callele

*ps: in response to a review I read about this note just now, no. This is not a punishment to everyone. I just realized through the reviews that Key was enough to end the story. That's all. And like I said, I'm sorry.


	82. Happy New Year!

Since I gave the readers of Scroll a New Year's treat, I'm giving the readers who read Key one last something too. You all still made my 2011 memorable. So here's my New Year's gift. I'm sorry if it's awful and not worth reading.

But this is really me. Happy New Year!

* * *

><p>Mai sat on the porch steps before the front door.<p>

She planned to run away from the house and ride a train back to London, but she realized she needed a passport, a ticket and money to do it – something only Naru had at that moment.

So she sat down to cry her heart out and think things over.

She didn't know how long it had been. She just knew that her tears had stopped falling, and that her brain had formulated reasons to defend Naru.

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. She wiped her eyes.

She was hopeless.

Couldn't she really hate Naru? **Really** hate him?

Mai suddenly smelled tea and felt a warm blanket fall gently on her shoulders.

She looked up and saw Naru standing behind her – a cup of tea on his free hand.

His face was apathetic as usual.

Mai looked shyly away.

Naru offered her the cup of tea.

She took it and mumbled a 'thank you.'

Naru then sat down beside her – eyes fixed at the darkness devouring everything in front of him.

"How long did you plan all of this?" Mai asked weakly as she stared at the tea.

"A while," Naru answered.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Jerk," she muttered.

Naru tried not to smirk.

Mai wasn't mad at him anymore.

"You had help?" Mai asked before sipping the tea.

"I had people, yes," Naru answered.

Mai glared at Naru. "You really can't swallow your pride, huh?"

Naru ignored it and kept his eyes on the evening scape.

Mai sighed. "Does Master Mortimer know this?"

"This is one of their properties," Naru answered.

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. "I should've known you didn't have any friends here," she muttered. "Heck, you don't have any friends! A man like you **can't** have any friends!"

Naru looked at Mai from the corner of his eyes. "Am I supposed to laugh at that?"

Mai glared at Naru – her lips in a pout. "That was a snide comment," she muttered.

Naru looked back at the scenery. "I thought so," he said. "You've always been lame at making one."

Mai's hands shivered in fury. "You're lucky I still have my manners," she muttered – imagining how Naru would look like once she poured the contents of the steaming cup of tea on his neatly combed hair.

Naru looked at Mai. "If pouring that on me would make you feel better, go ahead."

Mai stared shocked at Naru. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

…He looked so sad and handsome...

Mai looked away, her cheeks still flushed. "It won't be enough to make me feel better," she said.

Naru looked back at the view. He could barely make out the gate.

Mai stared at the cup of tea. "Do Florence and Edmund know?" she asked.

"Yes," Naru answered.

Mai scowled.

So everyone was in on the ploy except for her.

"If you chose to stay with them, this wouldn't push through," Naru said.

Mai looked up at Naru – eye brows raised. "You…would throw all the planning you made away if I chose to stay in London?"

"Need I explain everything in detail for you?" Naru asked glancing at Mai.

Mai glared at him. "I **got** it! I was just clarifying what I heard, okay?"

Naru looked up at the night sky.

Mai sighed. "So you just didn't want me to stay with Master Mortimer," she said.

Naru didn't answer.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Mai asked looking up at Naru.

"If I told you, would you stay in London?" Naru asked before he looked back at Mai. "Would you come with me here?"

Mai stiffened. Her cheeks were in flames.

If Naru asked her, it would sound like he was asking her to elope with him. They weren't even in a relationship! What would his parents say? What would people think of him?

"NO!" Mai said looking away.

"Exactly," Naru said turning back to the night sky.

Mai sighed and looked down at her tea.

They stayed silent for a while before Naru stood up and turned to go back to the house.

"Naru."

Naru paused and waited for her to say something.

"You're not going to apologize, are you?"

"People apologize when they regret doing things," Naru said.

Mai looked up at Naru.

"I don't regret anything," Naru said, his back still facing Mai.


	83. SEQUEL IS UP

_Sequel is up: "Where is home?"_

_disclaimer: same annoying plot as Key and Are you happy? and still aiming to be unpredictable. (but if you can predict what's going to happen, it's absolutely fine with me ^ _v _^)_

_"Where is home?"__  
>Summary: Naru and Mai are in Amsterdam, Naru's father is on his tail to get<br>him back home, lies are exposed, realizations hit and this time Naru asks... _


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